Over 300 attacks against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon have been reported on Monday. At least 274 have been killed. The death toll is the highest in the country since the war in Gaza broke out almost a year ago and over 1,000 have been injured.
According to lieutenant colonel Anders Ekholm, this means a new phase in the conflict between the Iran-backed militia group and Israel. Among other things, for the first time since October, Hezbollah has fired a long-range missile with a presumed impact just east of Tel Aviv.
– It is extremely serious and it probably does not just mean a step up the escalation ladder or the spiral that we usually talk about when something can get out of control, says Anders Ekholm.
Wants to knock out Hezbollah’s defense works
The attack is expected to be met by an even greater response from Israel. The military, the IDF, announced at 6 p.m. that it had carried out a “targeted attack” on Beirut.
– I think we will see continued development as we are seeing now. A kind of exchange between these parties. A very strange communication, where the risk of misunderstanding each other’s intentions is very high, says Anders Ekholm.
According to Anders Ekholm, the purpose behind the attacks is to knock out defense structures, including launch pads for robots.
– What you are mainly worried about are the long-range weapons. You have a considerable amount at your disposal where you can basically reach all of Israel.
The UN chief’s warning: “Could become the new Gaza”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Sunday that Lebanon could become a “new Gaza”. But Anders Ekholm believes that neither Israel nor Hezbollah is interested in a full-scale war.
– The difference here is that Israel, ultimately the government together with the IDF, has decided on a goal which means that the goal has been reached when the 60,000 to 80,000 Israeli people who cannot live along the border with Lebanon can move home. This means to me that no ground operation is needed.
– In that way, I mean that they have not been stuck in the same way as in Gaza, where they announced, perhaps a little in affect, that “we are going to destroy Hamas”.
The United States has sent additional troops to the Middle East, AP reports. Currently, 40,000 American soldiers are in the region, but Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder does not want to give any details about how many more they have now sent.
“Probably happy to fight to the last Hezbollah member”
Despite Iran’s support for Hezbollah, Anders Ekholm does not believe that Iran will actively enter the conflict.
– Iran is probably happy to fight to the last Hezbollah member, but I don’t think they are keen to go in themselves. My guess is that you then end up in open war against the United States and then I think the regime is in a bad place in Iran.
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