Blinksen, stuck.
Israel launched over ten fierce airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, while Hezbollah in Lebanon "first used" precision-guided missiles to strike targets within Israel. According to foreign media reports, Israel's military actions have not slowed down, putting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an awkward position as he conducts a new round of diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
The conflict remains intense. According to a report by the Lebanese National News Agency, the Israeli military launched multiple air strikes on the Deir al-Qamar area in the southern suburbs of Beirut that night, destroying several buildings and causing a large fire. This marks the "most intense" attack on Deir al-Qamar since the current round of Israel-Palestine conflict erupted in October last year.
The situation has also spread to the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre. According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the Israeli military has targeted multiple command and control centers of Hezbollah in Tyre, including Hezbollah's southern frontline command center. This ancient city, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, has recently been included for the first time in the Israeli military's civilian evacuation order for Lebanon, with tens of thousands of people fleeing. The mayor of Tyre stated that the local historical sites have not been damaged in the Israeli military strikes.
Since the outbreak of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, Hezbollah has been continuously engaging in clashes with the Israeli military along the Lebanon-Israel border to support the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). Since mid-month this year, Israel has intensified its strikes against Hezbollah, causing the conflict to suddenly escalate. The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and his potential successor have both been killed in Israeli air raids.
The statement from Hezbollah Day said, "For the first time, precision-guided missiles were used to strike targets inside Israel, and new types of drones were launched into Israeli territory." According to Israeli media reports, Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel that day, with most targeting northern Israel. The reports did not mention any Israeli casualties.
According to a statement released by the Lebanese government, in the past hours, Israeli attacks have resulted in at least deaths on the Lebanese side; the number of deaths on the Lebanese side since last October has risen to people. According to a report by The Times of Israel, since the outbreak of the current Israel-Palestine conflict, the Israel-Lebanon conflict has led to the deaths of approximately Israeli civilians and the loss of life of another Israeli military personnel.
Israel "doesn't give face." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East for a new round of mediation on the ceasefire issue. According to multiple media reports, with only about two weeks left until the US presidential election, the Democratic administration led by President Joseph Biden is attempting to use Blinken's current visit to "strongly push" Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah, and others towards progress on a ceasefire. However, the results so far have been dismal.
Israeli government far-right officials have recently publicly called for the construction of settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, sparking concerns among external observers that Israel intends to "empty" the northern Gaza Strip and establish new Jewish settlements. According to Israeli media reports, Secretary of State Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and asked him and his senior deputies to publicly clarify on this matter, but did not receive a commitment from the other side. The Hill website in the United States pointed out that Netanyahu is not interested in resolving the current round of Israel-Palestine conflict through diplomatic means.
Steven Cook, a Middle East expert at the U.S. think tank Council on Foreign Relations, stated that within Israel, there is a viewpoint that "the United States is wrong on many matters," and Israel should not adopt the advice of "those who fundamentally cannot solve the problem." In Cook's view, the fundamental divergence between the U.S. and Israeli governments lies in the fact that the U.S. "wants to reach an agreement," while Israel "wants to win." Therefore, Israel will view the current round of Israel-Palestine conflict from a "completely different perspective" and hopes to ultimately "change the rules of the game."