Shortly after making his declaration of war at the UN General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on the phone with his government. According to reports, Netanyahu had given orders to launch major military strikes against Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon, including Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, even before he arrived in Washington. If true, it means that all the discussions about a peace agreement and ceasefire were bogus from the get-go.
Massive Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon hit what Israel claimed was Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut on Sept. 27, while also destroying the surrounding buildings. Iran claimed that Israel even used some 5,000 lb bombs supplied by the U.S., according to Al Jazeera. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, at least 6 people were killed in the attack, while over 700 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since Sept. 23. Israel claims it was targeting Nasrallah in Sept. 27 strike, though it has not been confirmed whether he was actually killed.
Many people are fleeing Lebanon for Syria, and any moves by the Biden Administration for peace in the region are now totally debunked. It is unclear where the embattled Israeli Prime Minister wants to go with the path of absolute war, but his ultimate target, as his UN speech today indicated, is Iran.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, in an ominous statement today, said that Iran represents one of the most serious threats to U.S. national security. Garland was speaking about indictments against some alleged Iranian operatives for hacking into President Trump’s campaign, with rumors about Iranian threats to Trump’s life. It is clear that the Biden Administration has lost all control over its Israeli “breakaway ally.” The only question remains whether the Administration will enforce the law on Netanyahu or impotently accept a general Middle East war as a fait accompli.
