Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon flee as Israel expands its bombardment
PBS NewsHourSep 29
Israeli Defense Minister: Hezbollah Successor 'Probably' Killed Last Week
Above: The burnt shell of a building and crater are all that remain after an Israeli airstrike against a Lebanese Hezbollah target along the old airport road on October 8, 2024 in Beirut, Lebanon. Image copyright: Scott Peterson/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant claimed Tuesday that Hashem Safieddine — the presumed successor to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an airstrike in September — was "probably" killed in an airstrike last week, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "took out" Nasrallah's successors.
Israeli troops reportedly entered the southern Lebanese border village of Maroun al-Ras this week, where they raised the Israeli flag, while Hezbollah claimed to have fired artillery and rockets at advancing Israeli forces near Labbouneh.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though the situation in the region continues to escalate, the US has stood firm in its role as a mediator. Israel has every right to respond to Hezbollah's daily terror attacks along its northern border. However, it is in no one's interest for tensions to explode into a wider regional war. The US will continue to work toward regional stability.
Pro-Israel narrative
Israel has been incredibly patient regarding the situation in the north, however, after a year of daily terror attacks on Israeli civilians, Israel has been forced to deal with Hezbollah more aggressively. Indeed, Friday's strike on Nasrallah demonstrates that Israel has established new "rules of engagement" that will prove to Hezbollah that its hubris will led to its destruction. Israel wants peace more than anyone, but it cannot allow Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terror groups to threaten its society in such an existential way.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel is bombing several countries in the Middle East, yet continues to play the victim. As it commits genocide in Gaza and works to destroy Lebanon — all in the name of "remaking the Middle East" — it will only create more problems for itself. Indeed, Israel's aggression is only strengthening the resolve of its enemies and pushing the civilian population into their arms.
Narrative D
Though Hezbollah has experienced painful losses in recent weeks, its command and control structures remain intact. The resistance is more than able to continue responding to Israeli aggression and has exacted a heavy price on invading Israeli forces. Nonetheless, Hezbollah has full confidence in efforts led by Nabih Berri to find a political solution.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that state-based conflict between Israel and Iran will cause at least 1,000 deaths before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.