Israeli Military, just after 8 days of the recent ceasefire agreement, have intensified airstrikes in southern Lebanon in retaliation to Hezbollah’s firing projectiles into Golan Heights. This raises the fear of the collapse of a ceasefire in Lebanon. These are cities that Alexander the Great once occupied around 320 BCE. This bombing is retaliation to Hezbollah’s firing of two mortars at an Israeli army base.
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Airstrike on 11 areas along with Beqaa Valley.
Lebanon National News Agency (NNA) said IDF struck 11 areas of southern Lebanon on Monday night. This also included the historic city of Beqaa.
Around 12 people were reported dead in these areas.
The City Mayor, Bachir Khadr, expressed his hope that the Israeli military does not target the ancient Roman citadel at Baalbek in the Beeqa Valley.
Hezbollah vowed to continue resisting Israel. They are carefully observing and monitoring the Israeli army’s withdrawal from south Lebanon “with [our] hands on the trigger.”
Earlier on October 23rd, 2024, IDF bombed another Historic city of Tyre, which hosts another UNESCO site.
Ceasefire seems not enough!?
As reported, this war has forced nearly 60 per cent of the estimated 2,50,000 residents to evacuate or flee from the city. At the same time, the rest have crammed into the city’s neighbourhood with the Sunni majority. To date, after nearly a year, the official report of deaths by Lebanon’s Health Ministry is 1754 people, though it could easily be higher due to gaps in data collection. Yesterday’s bombing has caused around 12 deaths.
Even in the backdrop of these developments, the recently appointed Hezbollah leader, Naim Qassem, said they will continue. He became the leader of the Hezbollah Military Group, which is based in Lebanon, after the killing of their revered leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed by the IDF in Beirut.
Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for IDF, on X, expressed to the effect that IDF would continue to attack Hezbollah interests in their cities and villages, and Beqaa is the recent one. These developments are sending strong indications that the 60-day ceasefire will soon collapse.
The Historic Cites of Beqaa, Baalbek, and Tyre.
Beqaa is a 9,000-year-old city, and the kingdom Aram-Zobah (Sobah) mentioned in the Bible is thought to be located in Beqaa. This kingdom was founded in the 11th or 10th century BC. The Iron Age was dominated by Phoenician and Aramaic-speaking populations. In the 1st century BC, it provided grain to the Roman Empire.
Baalbek, also called the City of the Sun, is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Beqaa Valley, which happens to be the southern part of Lebanon that the IDF is bombing. Alexander the Great (356-323 BCE) had once occupied this pre-Roman locality. The area is called the Citadel of Baalbek and is a remarkable temple complex dedicated to Jupiter, Bacchus, and Venus. Besides featuring stone blocks and columns, it also houses the Temple of Bacchus, the best-kept Roman temple in the world.
The City of Tyre is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in southernmost Lebanon. It is an ancient port city that houses a sports arena, the Hippodrome. Traditionally, it hosted chariot races, but it also had other types of sports.
Why this conflict?
The current bombings are part of the October 7th, 2024, abduction of several Israeli civilians by Hamas and subsequent retaliation by the Israelites. Further, Hezbollah, a military outfit based out of Lebanon, has historically been sympathetic towards Hamas on the Gaza and West Bank issues. These are contentious suzerainty occupation issues that the Palestinians have been protesting for a long time. While Hamas rules Gaza, it is isolated by both Israel and Egypt, and the West Bank, on the other hand, is controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) under restrictions from Israel.
Here is a timeline of the developments in this region of the Middle East:
Contrary to the general knowledge, these conflicts are between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah and not the Lebanese government.
- October 7th, 2023: Hamas (a militant group) assaults Southern Israel in what is considered the most devastating attack on Israel in decades. Hamas made a surprise attack on several fronts, including rocket barrages, armed infiltration, ground attacks, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians and soldiers. 1200 Israelis were killed and several injured. This Hamas attack is considered a humiliation of Israeli intelligence.
- Immediately, Israel declared a state of war, launching military attacks in the Gaza Strip. The aim was, and still is, to dismantle Hamas’s operational outfit.
- This escalated into a regional conflict, with Hezbollah (another militant group) and the West Bank joining in support of Hamas. Making it an Israeli-Palestine existential war.
- Incessant bombing in the Gaza Strip and several areas of Lebanon has drawn the ire internationally for human rights issues.
- November 23rd, 2024: USA and France brokered a ceasefire treaty between Israel and Hezbollah.
- Notwithstanding the ceasefire, Hezbollah launched projectiles into the disputed area in Golan Heights, occupied by Israel.
- Though no casualties were reported, IDF has launched fresh airstrikes on 11 locations of southern Lebanon.
- This area is home to rich ancient Middle Eastern history. Areas like Beqaa Valley are as old as 12 BCE. Other cities are Baalek and Tyre.
Conclusion: What is the way forward?
While international efforts are underway to push for a ceasefire, there has been no proposal that is acceptable to both Israel and Hezbollah. India has joined other countries in denouncing these attacks.
