Public Comment

Israeli airstrikes and targeted raids in southern Lebanon have already killed over a thousand civilians and displaced over a million more. Now, Israel is claiming to have launched a ground invasion, though Hezbollah and U.N. peacekeepers deny that such an incursion has yet begun.

The chaos is escalating, and while President Biden has called for a ceasefire, the mixed signals coming from the U.S. government are troubling. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s conversation with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reinforced U.S. support for Israel’s actions along the Lebanese border. Meanwhile, the targeted assassinations and bombings suggest that Israel's true aim is to provoke a broader conflict involving the U.S..

Hezbollah’s media sources confirm that while Israeli forces attempted to enter southern Lebanon, they were forced to retreat under heavy firepower. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears more concerned with rehabilitating his shattered image after October 7 than with any sincere pursuit of peace. His government has continually sidelined the Gaza front and opted to expand the war into Lebanon, perhaps believing that escalation will rewrite history in his favor. However, this reckless expansion of conflict is not only undermining Israel’s standing in the region but is also a direct threat to U.S. interests in the Middle East. Jordan’s Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, said it clearly: peace is within reach, but only if Israel ends its occupation and allows for the establishment of a Palestinian state.  

Netanyahu’s refusal to pursue peace leaves Israel on a dangerous path of perpetual war, a path the U.S. should not be enabling. Shame on Biden and Harris!