Fears of Full-Scale War With Lebanon Rise After Israel Bombs Beirut

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The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Tuesday that it "carried out a targeted strike in Beirut," elevating fears of an all-out war with Lebanon or a larger regional conflict as Israel continues a monthslong assault on the Gaza Strip.

Israel has blamed Hezbollah, a militia and political party in Lebanon, for the recent rocket attack on a soccer field in Majdal Shams, a town in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied responsibility.

The IDF said on social media that its strike in the Lebanese capital targeted an unnamed "commander responsible for the murder of the children in Majdal Shams and the killing of numerous additional Israeli civilians."

Reuters reported that "a senior Lebanese security source said a senior Hezbollah commander had been the target of the air strike and his fate remained unclear."

The Israeli strike "targeted the area around Hezbollah's Shura Council in the Haret Hreik neighborhood of the capital," Reuters added, citing Lebanon's state-run national news agency.

Since the Israeli assault on Gaza began over the Hamas-led October 7 attack, cross-border strikes have killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters and approximately 100 civilians.

The Peace & Justice Project—founded by Jeremy Corbyn, an Independent member of the United Kingdom's Parliament—said Tuesday that "in the last few moments, Israel has bombed a densely populated civilian area in Beirut. The U.K. and U.S. governments must condemn this dangerous escalation and immediately suspend arms sales to Israel."

Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), urged U.S. President Joe Biden—who has enabled the Israeli assault on Gaza with diplomatic and weapons support—to put pressure on Israel to prevent war with Lebanon.

"In the days after October 7, President Biden had a message for Hezbollah: 'Don't.' Now it's time for Biden to send the same message to Israel: Don't launch a new war in Lebanon, don't keep evading a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, don't assume American support if you start a regional war," she said. "The U.S. government should be doing everything it can to stop the escalation of the conflict and the only way to accomplish that is to exert enough pressure on Israel to reach a permanent cease-fire in Gaza."

Like DAWN's leader, Win Without War executive director Sara Haghdoosti also connected the airstrike to peace in Gaza.

"The latest round of strikes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah puts the region at the edge of a major war," Haghdoosti warned. "Win Without War is alarmed by the escalation over the last several days. We call on the Biden administration to redouble diplomatic efforts to calm tensions and prevent further violence."

"A cease-fire in Gaza remains the most crucial step in ending this devastating cycle of violence," she added. "We urge the Biden administration to use all the leverage at its disposal to secure a deal that returns hostages held in Gaza, ends the killing and horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and averts a regional war."