Smoke and fire rise from the site of an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Mahmoudiyeh on September 19, 2024. Photo: Rabih Daher/AFP
Tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate following recent explosions in Lebanon that damaged communications equipment used by the Shiite movement Hezbollah. On Thursday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the military wing of the Tehran regime, declared that Israel would soon receive a “crushing response from the resistance front” for these actions. As reported by AFP, Hezbollah has attributed the explosions to Israel.
The attacks, which occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, destroyed hundreds of communications devices belonging to Hezbollah, an organization backed by Iran. Reports indicate that 37 people were killed and nearly 3,000 injured as a result of the blasts.
These explosions have exacerbated the already tense situation between Israel and its adversaries in the region, particularly amid the ongoing conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas in Gaza. Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas have openly accused Israel of being behind the attack, though Israel has yet to confirm its involvement in the explosions in Lebanon.
General Hossein Salami, the head of the IRGC, emphasized that the “Zionist regime will soon face a response” for these actions. He hinted at further strikes on Israel by what he referred to as the “resistance front,” a coalition of Iranian-backed groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, as well as other armed formations in Iraq and Yemen.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked Israeli positions in support of Hamas, prompting a large-scale response from Israel. Tel Aviv has conducted targeted airstrikes on Hezbollah military bases in Lebanon, aiming to deter further attacks from the northern front.
This new escalation, experts warn, could spiral into a broader conflict as all parties brace for the next moves.
