Blinken warns of Israel-Hezbollah war; 18 Israeli soldiers injured in drone attack

2 Jul 2024

The US sees ‘momentum’ towards war between Israel and Hezbollah despite efforts to head off a conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at an event that was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Israel’s military said 18 soldiers were injured in a drone attack by Hezbollah, one of them seriously, the latest episode in a long-running campaign of tit-for-tat fire between the two sides.

Hamas remains militarily active, and 20 projectiles were identified crossing the border into southern Israel from the Gaza area of Khan Younis on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. A number of them were intercepted and no injuries were reported.

Blinken warns of Hezbollah war at event targeted by protests

The US sees “momentum” towards war between Israel and Hezbollah despite efforts to head off a conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at an event that was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.

As demonstrators shouted outside the venue hall, the top US diplomat said Israel has “lost sovereignty” in the north because of repeated attacks that have displaced some 60,000 of its citizens. He said the cross-border violence must stop and called for a diplomatic resolution that includes a pullback of forces.

“You have a paradox in this moment, which is that, at least in our judgment, none of the main actors actually want a war,” Blinken told an audience at the Brookings Institution. “On the one hand, no one actually wants a war. On the other hand, you have forces, momentum, that may be leading in that direction and which we are determined to try to arrest.”

Read more: Israel and Hezbollah lurch closer to full-blown war in Lebanon

The Biden administration has been working furiously in recent weeks to tamp down the possibility of a wider conflict between Israel and Hezbollah even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has warned of stepped-up operations against the US-designated terrorist group.

Blinken again called for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, given that war’s link to the Hezbollah fighting. Hamas fighters killed some 1,200 Israelis and captured 240 hostages in a 7 October raid, triggering an Israeli campaign that has killed more than 37,000 people.

“So much of this is tied to Gaza,” Blinken said. “And I think it underscores why it’s clearly in the strategic interests of Israel as well to effectively bring this to a close.”

As Blinken spoke, protesters outside the event space chanted criticism of his support for Israel in the war against Hamas, with some calling him “secretary of genocide..” Their chants were clearly heard throughout the event, and protesters shouted at attendees as they left the venue at the end.

Israeli troops hurt by Hezbollah drones as clashes escalate

Israel’s military said 18 soldiers were injured in a drone attack by Hezbollah, one of them seriously, the latest episode in a long-running campaign of tit-for-tat fire between the two sides.

The assault in the northern Golan Heights on Sunday came as Israel and Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, move closer to a full-scale war after trading fire since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October.

The attack targeted a command centre and was a response to Israel firing on houses in south Lebanon, Hezbollah said. Israel responded by striking targets including an observation post and a rocket-launch site, but didn’t imply the Iran-backed militant group’s latest actions were serious enough to be a cause for significant escalation.

Around 80,000 civilians have had to be evacuated from each of southern Lebanon and northern Israel because of the skirmishes. In Lebanon, more than 300 Hezbollah combatants and roughly 80 civilians have been killed. Israel has lost about 18 soldiers and 10 civilians.

Hezbollah’s strikes in recent weeks have been among its most forceful since October, raising concerns that Netanyahu may be tempted to open up a new front in the conflict with Iran’s allied militias in the region.

A broader war could draw in Tehran directly — as happened briefly in April — along with its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as well as the US.

Meanwhile, the war in Gaza is approaching the end of its ninth month and shows no sign of being resolved. Israel is committed to fighting Hamas until the group is eliminated, Netanyahu said on Sunday, partly to ensure its militants are never able to repeat the 7 October invasion that triggered the conflict.

Read more: Netanyahu vows to fight on as mediators seek new path to Ttalks

US President Joe Biden unveiled a three-part peace proposal at the end of May, which he has repeatedly said Netanyahu supports and Hamas doesn’t. Yet that calls for a permanent ceasefire without Hamas first being destroyed, which is contradictory to Israel’s aims.

Hamas remains militarily active, and 20 projectiles were identified crossing the border into southern Israel from the Gaza area of Khan Younis on Monday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. A number of them were intercepted and no injuries were reported.

Senior Western diplomats have recently visited Jerusalem and Beirut to broker a diplomatic deal that would see Hezbollah fighters retreat from the Lebanese border area near Israel.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US, is the most powerful militia in the Middle East and thought by Israeli intelligence to have more than 100,000 rockets and missiles, a much bigger arsenal than what Hamas is believed to have had before 7 October. DM

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Blinken warns of Hezbollah war at event targeted by protests

Israeli troops hurt by Hezbollah drones as clashes escalate