CITIZENS NEWS

Israel’s disproportionate strikes on Lebanon raise fears of wider war

By isabelle // 2025-03-24

• Israel launched deadly airstrikes in southern Lebanon, killing eight civilians, including children, in response to five ineffective rockets.
• Hezbollah denied involvement, while Lebanon accused Israel of fabricating pretexts for military escalation.
• Israel’s disproportionate strikes targeted civilian areas, mirroring tactics used in Gaza.
• The fragile 2023 ceasefire is collapsing as Israel continues occupying Lebanese territory with U.S. backing.
• Analysts warn Lebanon could become the next major conflict zone amid global inaction.

Israel launched airstrikes across southern Lebanon over the weekend, killing at least eight civilians — including children — while justifying the attacks as a response to five primitive rockets that caused no Israeli casualties. The strikes, which began on Saturday and continued into Sunday, mark one of the deadliest violations of a fragile ceasefire brokered in November 2024. With Hezbollah denying involvement in the rocket fire and Lebanese officials accusing Israel of fabricating pretexts for military escalation, the region teeters on the brink of renewed conflict — backed by unwavering U.S. support for Tel Aviv’s actions.

A pattern of disproportionate force

Israel’s latest bombardment mirrors its strategy in Gaza: using minor security incidents to justify widespread destruction. After five rudimentary rockets were fired toward the largely evacuated Israeli settlement of Metula, the Israeli military unleashed airstrikes targeting towns from Aita al-Shaab to Tyre, leveling homes, a café, and infrastructure. Lebanese sources report that among the dead was Hassan al-Zein, a civilian struck by a guided missile while in his car. Despite Hezbollah’s public denial of responsibility — a rare move suggesting political pressure — Israel framed the strikes as necessary to “protect Israeli civilians.” Defense Minister Israel Katz announced a “second wave” of attacks on alleged Hezbollah sites, though Lebanese media and analysts argue the targets were overwhelmingly civilian. “Israel is trying to expand its aggression against Lebanon and may fabricate a breach to justify a military escalation,” sources told Al-Jadeed.

Ceasefire in name only

The November 2023 truce required Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon, yet Tel Aviv maintains illegal occupation of five strategic points with explicit U.S. approval. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that Israel’s actions risked dragging the country into a “new war,” while President Joseph Aoun condemned the “flimsy pretexts” for ongoing violations. Since the ceasefire, Israel has breached Lebanese sovereignty over 1,500 times, according to Lebanese officials. The UN’s peacekeeping force (UNIFIL) expressed alarm, urging restraint amid fears of a “spiral” beyond control. Andrea Tenenti, a UNIFIL spokesperson, stressed that there have been negotiations “to prevent any escalation of the conflict and of the tension – something that no one wants to see after 16 months of conflict in this region.” Yet Israel’s rhetoric suggests otherwise. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Lebanon’s government responsible for all violence within its borders — a stance critics call a deliberate distortion of international law.

Western complicity and regional fallout

The Trump administration’s silence on Israel’s disproportionate strikes underscores its diplomatic shield for Tel Aviv, even as civilian deaths mount. Ophir Falk, Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser, told Reuters Israel would “do whatever it takes” to enforce security — a mantra that has long justified collective punishment. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s army, tasked with dismantling militant infrastructure under the ceasefire, found only “primitive launchers,” further undermining Israel’s claims of Hezbollah threats. With Gaza’s ceasefire already collapsed, analysts warn Lebanon could become the next front in Israel’s destabilizing campaign. “As long as the occupation continues, the resistance will continue,” said Sultan Barakat of Hamad Bin Khalifa University. For now, Lebanon’s civilians pay the price — while the world looks away. Israel’s latest offensive in Lebanon exposes a familiar playbook: minimal provocation, maximal retaliation, and impunity guaranteed by Western allies. As bombs reduce homes to rubble and children to statistics, the veneer of “self-defense” grows thinner. Without urgent international pressure, the cycle of escalation — and the bodies left in its wake — will only worsen. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co Reuters.com AlJazeera.com

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