By Kazi Nasir
Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah who was leading the movement against Israeli occupation of Palestine from Lebanon for 32 years was assassinated on Friday, 27th September 2024 by a heavy airstrike on its southern part.
In the course of an interview with NBC News, Mark Kelly, chair of the US Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, said Israel used a 900 kg (2,000 pound) Mark-84 series bomb to take out Nasrallah.
Like Hassan Nasrallah 20 other veteran senior officials have been killed including Ismail Haniya of Hamas, Nabil Qaouk, Ibrahim Aqil, a second founder member of the military wing Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, who died in July, Ali Karaki, and Ibrahim Jazini. The Assassination of Hassan Nasrallah is a major tactical success for the Netanyahu government in Israel because it revived the old image of ‘Mr—security’ among its citizens.
But will these steps really help Israel to eliminate militant groups like Hezbollah? It is a question needed to be answered.
Until now ranging from Abbas Al-Musawi former secretary general of Hezbollah to Hassan Nasrallah several leaders got assassinated, but the movement still survived, because most of the time taking out the leadership of an organization does not necessarily kill the movement but that gave birth to the organization in the first place.
Israel’s war on Lebanon On 18th September, a pager explosion incident took place in Lebanon killing more than 3000 people according to Israeli sources, although Israel has remained silent and doesn’t claim responsibility. It was preciselyunderstood by the international community and media who was behind the scene. This action was hugely criticized by several members of the international community including former CIA Director, Leon Panetta, who called this particular act of Israel in Pager blast an act of terrorism. According to him civilian casualties were involved in this specific operation, because many of these explosions took place inside hospitals, grocery stores, markets, and other public places.
On 23rd September Israel’s aerial invasion of Lebanon with a massive airstrike killed more than 550 people including 50 children and 94 women; One of the highest single-day death tolls in modern warfare.
According to Lebanese Health Minister, Dr. Firass Abiad, “An overwhelming majority of the dead were civilians”.
Unlike Gaza, where according to the Israeli government the death toll was manipulated by Hamas, here in the case of Lebanon, Hezbollah doesn’t control the health ministry and neither is Dr. Firass Abiad affiliated with Hezbollah.
Now, as of 30th September, Israel started a massive bombing in Yemen which included targeted oil and gas stations. In the case of Lebanon, according to ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data), Israel, Hezbollah, and other Lebanese groups have exchanged more than 9,613 attacks between October 7 and September 6. About 82% of these attacks were carried out by Israeli forces.
Overall, we have already seen over 42,000 dead in Gaza, and the death toll in Lebanon and Yemen is also rising rapidly. To avoid similar tragedies, it is uncertain what diplomatic, humanitarian, and military measures might be necessary. It is hard to consider Israeli attacks as ‘Restraint’. The death toll of 42000 people and smashing a city into rubbles and ashes can’t be considered as collateral damage.
If a doctor is surgically going to remove a tumor from your leg but also removes your other leg with some other internal organs, you can call it insane and to doctor a psychopath. To deal with the violence, Israel needs to deal with its occupation. As for now, the violence has to end, but it gives the smell of political hunger and military gain.
The author is Student of English Journalism, IIMC Jammu
