Israeli attack on Lebanon has no strategic impact: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: New York Times
18 Sep 2024 18:32

According to analysts who spoke to The New York Times, the attack on Lebanon has not diminished the frustration among Israelis.

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Lebanese army soldiers secure the area for an ambulance to enter the premises of the American University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 17. (AP)

According to analysts who spoke to the New York Times, the Israeli pager attack on Lebanese civilians “has no clear strategic goal.”

Twelve people were killed and at least 2,800 others were injured on Tuesday after pagers simultaneously went off and then detonated across the country.

Analysts stressed that the aggression "had no clear strategic impact," as it did not change the military balance along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, where operations continue as they have been since the beginning of the war on Gaza.

The NYT added that the aggression was only a display of"'Israel's" technical prowess and did not diminish the frustration among Israelis, as Hezbollah remains on the northern border, preventing tens of thousands of settlers from returning.

Miri Eisin, a former senior Israeli intelligence officer, affirmed that "not a single Hezbollah fighter is going to move because of this," for capabilities do not equate to strategy.

Hezbollah's response 'inevitable'

Following the Israeli terror attack on Lebanon, Hezbollah issued a statement holding the occupation fully responsible and vowing to respond in ways and at times it cannot estimate or anticipate.

The Lebanese Resistance extended "the highest expressions of congratulations and deepest condolences to the honorable families of the martyrs who fell yesterday," whether from the targeting on the southern front in the towns of Blida and Majdal Selem, or "the martyrs who were killed in the treacherous and widespread aggression through the bombing of communication devices [pagers]."

The statement also wished the wounded a speedy recovery.

In a statement issued by Hezbollah's Military Media, the Resistance reaffirmed its commitment to "continue, today as on all previous days, its blessed operations in support of Gaza, its people, and its Resistance, as well as to defend Lebanon, its people, and its sovereignty."

This ongoing effort, they stated, is separate from "the severe reckoning the enemy must face for the massacre it committed on Tuesday against our people, families, and fighters in Lebanon."

The Islamic Resistance emphasized that what happened yesterday will have "a separate and forthcoming reckoning, God willing."