#lebanon-military-escalation

#lebanon-military-escalation

IDF troops from the 91st division have begun limited and targeted ground operations against key Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, aimed at enhancing the forward defence area. This operation is part of the effort to establish the forward defence, which includes destroying terrorist infrastructure and eliminating terrorists.

For Batoul Hamdan and her two children, seven-month-old Fatima and Jihad, three, Monday's iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan, was special. For a week, they had eaten to the sounds of bombs in their home in Arab Salim. Hamdan eventually decided to leave for Al-Nimiriya, the sleepy town where she had grown up. Surrounded by her parents and siblings in the family home, she hoped they could finally enjoy the festive mood of Ramadan.

When the time comes for any stance, we will not hesitate. Iran would expect Hezbollah to contribute if a US-Iran war scenario materializes, most plausibly by pressuring Israel. However, Hezbollah is also navigating an increasingly complicated domestic environment with integrationist pressure by Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun and the organization's stake in Lebanon's political future as a national actor, which raise the costs of a major, open-ended war.

Iranian health officials contend the U.S. and Israeli campaign has killed 1,200 people there. Lebanese authorities report 500 deaths in an Israeli assault. And we go next to Lebanon, where NPR's Hadeel Al-Shalchi has been covering this from Beirut.