For the Lebanese, the war is not over. While there is a ceasefire in Iran and many people in the region are seeking to return to a semblance of normality, Lebanon is being pounded with massive airstrikes.
Israel said that within ten minutes on Wednesday, the IDF carried out its largest coordinated strikes across Lebanon, “targeting more than 100 Hezbollah command centers and military sites.” Scenes in Lebanon showed buildings being struck across Beirut. Other areas of Lebanon were also affected.
For the Lebanese, there is no way to prevent the airstrikes or get a ceasefire deal. Hezbollah carried out rocket fire on Israel on March 2. The IDF responded with a campaign against Hezbollah that has gone on for five weeks. Israel was prepared for this campaign and wanted to launch a widespread war on Hezbollah.
The goal of the war is to evacuate most of the people in southern Lebanon, and then secure a buffer zone that will run along the Litani or possibly in another area of southern Lebanon. This has resulted in displacing more than one million people, mostly Shi’ites.
While Israel believes that hundreds of Hezbollah members have been killed in the month of fighting, it is not clear if Hezbollah is more weakened than in the past. In November 2024, after months of fighting, a ceasefire was reached. Hezbollah was supposed to have been weakened in that fighting, losing many of its key commanders and much of its arsenal. However, after March 2, the perception is that Hezbollah has re-emerged in Lebanon.
This means the Lebanese government has been unable to disarm the group. It’s not clear whether the government ever attempted to fulfill its goal of disarming the group. However, it is clear that if the IDF can’t defeat Hezbollah, how would the much weaker and divided Lebanese government do so?
This leaves the people of Lebanon unprotected and primarily at the mercy of Hezbollah’s whims and also Israel’s decision-making. While Iran wanted Lebanon included in the ceasefire, Israel wants to make sure it can continue the war in Lebanon. For most Lebanese, this means they have been dragged into a war since October 2023, a war they have had no say over and one they didn’t vote for.
Displacements of southern Lebanon Shi'ites causing havoc for other Lebanese populations
The displacement of Shi’ites in Lebanon and the strikes on Hezbollah have caused the group to move to other areas of Lebanon. This means that it is now causing havoc for Lebanese of other sects, such as Christians and Sunnis. The tragedy facing these Lebanese is clear. A recent Israeli strike killed a Christian member of the Lebanese Forces, an anti-Hezbollah group. He was killed because a Hezbollah member apparently had moved in near where he lived.
According to the IDF, the wave of strikes on Wednesday targeted “Hezbollah command centers and military sites in Beirut, Beqaa, and southern Lebanon. This is the largest strike carried out against Hezbollah infrastructure since the start of Operation Roaring Lion.”
The IDF also said that they “struck in the Beirut area and eliminated Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary and nephew of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem.”
In addition, “overnight, the IDF struck two key crossings used by Hezbollah terrorists and commanders for movement from north to south of the Litani River in Lebanon to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets, and launchers.”
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said, "We will continue striking the Hezbollah terror organization and will utilize every operational opportunity. We will not compromise the security of the residents of northern Israel. We will continue to strike with determination.”
There is rising anger in the region and around the world regarding Wednesday's airstrikes. The deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general condemned the strikes. Lebanon says around 250 people were killed.
The spokesperson said in a statement that “the continued military activity in Lebanon poses a serious threat to the ceasefire and to efforts to achieve a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region."
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson also condemned the Israeli attacks. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said that Lebanon should “be included in the ceasefire agreement.” France has also condemned the strikes. Egypt has demanded that the international community intervene.
Kuwait slammed the attacks. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that “the scale of the killing and destruction in Lebanon today is appalling.” Qatar and Oman also put out statements, according to a report from North Press Agency in Syria.
The rising anger at Israel’s actions in Lebanon also includes concern in Italy and Spain regarding the treatment of UNIFIL in southern Lebanon. Spain is a particularly vociferous critic. The Belgian Foreign Minister, Maxime Prevot, was in Lebanon when the strikes happened.
“Just before I was commending [Lebanese] President Aoun for offering to open official negotiations with Israel towards a ceasefire, Israel launched, with no previous warning, one of the most massive strikes since the beginning of the hostilities, allegedly causing hundreds of civilian victims. We were at the embassy with my delegation, just a few hundred meters from where the missiles struck. This must stop. The ceasefire between the US, Israel, and Iran must include Lebanon!” he said.
US Senator Elissa Slotkin noted that “There are tens of thousands of Michiganders with deep ties to Lebanon, family, friends, and ancestral homes. Today, many anxiously checked in on loved ones amid significant Israeli airstrikes and civilian casualties. My heart goes out to these families, along with so many others from the greater Detroit area who have been living in fear for loved ones in the greater Middle East.”
US Congresswoman Sara Jacobs wrote on X/Twitter that “Israel killed at least 254 people and wounded over 1,000 in just 10 minutes in Lebanon today, making it the deadliest day of the war. Trump needs to tell Netanyahu to include Lebanon in the ceasefire, and both leaders need to permanently end this war.”