By: Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
On Friday, Hezbollah fired a heavy barrage of missiles at an Israeli military base in the Upper Galilee region near the southern Lebanese border, causing fire and destroying some of it.
The northern Israeli settlement of Mitzpe Abirim was also hit by the Lebanese resistance group, which said the attack was in response to the Israeli attacks on civilians in southern Lebanon's towns of Safad al-Batikh, Majdal Salam, and Shaqra.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that two shells fired by the Israeli occupation army fell near a police station at the Marj Junction in the town of Hula, southern Lebanon.
The Israeli occupation forces began a war on Gaza that has killed more than 38,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Hezbollah and other resistance groups have responded to the onslaught in solidarity and support of the Palestinian people who have been denied all human rights and live under a brutal Israeli military occupation.
In an effort to understand the situation, Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Lebanese journalist Ibrahim Darwish.
1. Steven Sahiounie (SS): The whole world is focused on a possible new Israeli war on Lebanon. In your opinion, what are the factors that would prevent this war?
Ibrahim Darwish (ID): If the Israeli occupation had the necessary tools, and the ability to change the situation in the north, it could have destroyed Lebanon, and occupy it from the south to the north. However, the reality in Lebanon has changed considerably, with the accumulation of resistance capabilities, expertise and capabilities, through continuous operations on its positions in southern Lebanon, leading to liberation in 2000, to exposing the weakness of its army and tanks, and the destruction of its machinery in July 2006, with the very persistence of Hezbollah in the southern front.
The residents and landowners in the south of Lebanon, who support the resistance movement Hezbollah, are standing in the face of Israeli aggression, which prevents the Israelis from crimes and massacres of Lebanese people farther north, who may not support Hezbollah.
The south of Lebanon, and its people, are in effect protecting the Lebanese areas such as Beirut, Jbeil, and Tripoli.
On October 8, the second day of the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, Hezbollah prevented the Israeli occupation from crossing the 'red-lines' on the battlefield, despite the Israeli occupation targeting Lebanese civilians, and their properties in the south.
Hezbollah determined the times of attack and calm, while the Israeli army had the disadvantage of a loss of tanks and ammunitions, as they admitted, due to the Israeli war on Gaza and the attacks on Lebanon.
All that is stated above is a threat and message to the Israelis from Mr. Nasrallah, concerning the abilities and readiness of the resistance in targeting new settlements if Israel continues attacking innocent civilians of the south of Lebanon.
2. SS: The Lebanese army has been kept weak by the US. In your point of view, can the Lebanese army play a role in a possible war?
ID: The ideology of the Lebanese army is firm, and the Lebanese are firm in their hostility to the Israeli occupation, as the sole enemy of Lebanon.
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