by Anhar Kochneva
| Russia is losing its war, while Israel is winning hers. This is sour grapes. |
On May 27 alone, 189 strikes were carried out on the territory of the Republic of Lebanon. Twenty-three of these were carried out by drones. The rest were air strikes, which were far more powerful and destructive.
Videos captured by eyewitnesses show streets and neighborhoods reduced to cement dust. All the buildings were civilian, including residential buildings and retail outlets. Among the completely destroyed buildings was the popular "Tsar's Throne" restaurant complex, complete with swimming pools and a play area.
Information about new strikes is coming in several times an hour. In most cases, there are no casualties, as many settlements are already largely deserted. However, there are still casualties, often involving entire families.
Since 2023, many Lebanese Shiites have fled to neighboring Syria during Israeli bombing campaigns. Good, affordable housing was available there, and entry for Lebanese was extremely simple and inexpensive.
But after the Shiite-friendly regime of Bashar al-Assad was replaced by the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa, such migration became impossible, since the Hezbollah movement had previously actively helped government forces fight his supporters.
Rents for houses and apartments in safe areas of Lebanon have skyrocketed, depriving low-income families of the opportunity to find decent housing anywhere but their own homes. So they remain at home, often condemning themselves to death.
But even the relocation of refugees to other areas is no guarantee of safety. Among the numerous bombings last week, two occurred in areas considered relatively safe.
The first occurred at 2:00 a.m. on May 28 in the city of Saida, located approximately 40 kilometers south of Beirut. Two apartments on the first and second floors were completely destroyed. The building suffered extensive damage. It is beyond repair and could collapse at any moment.
The bombing killed four people—two Palestinians and two Lebanese. The likely target of the Israel Liberation Army (IDF) was Hussam Zeidan, a former correspondent for the Iranian Arabic-language television channel Al-Alam who had worked in Syria for many years and who lived there.
That same day, a residential building in the town of Shweifat, adjacent to the southern end of Beirut Airport, was attacked. According to the Lebanese military, four missiles were fired from a ship.
Four people were killed here, including a woman with her two-month-old daughter and a twelve-year-old Syrian boy playing in the street. Two apartments were destroyed, as well as a warehouse for construction materials and equipment located in the basement. The strike occurred during a declared ceasefire, targeting one of the areas temporarily protected by American diplomats.
Horrifying photos and videos are coming from Tyre, the largest city in southern Lebanon. Entire neighborhoods are being destroyed. On June 1, in the middle of the workday, a strike hit Jabal Amel Hospital, destroying a drug warehouse and damaging the clinic building and the offices where patients were being seen.
In the town of Sarafand (biblical Sarepta), the home of a well-known pharmacist was destroyed by bombing. Six families from the south lived in the house, and only thanks to the IDF issuing a warning to evacuate the town did they survive.
Numerous strikes are also being carried out on the city of Nabatieh, targeting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, hospitals, and rescue vehicles.
On May 31 and June 1, reports were released that the US had given the go-ahead for new bombings of Beirut's southern suburbs, triggering a new wave of mass exoduses. The number of people sleeping on the streets and in their cars increased again.
Meanwhile, despite the Israeli side's statements about a "brilliant ground operation" and the advancement of armored vehicles deep into Lebanese territory, there are some nuances here.
According to Lebanese analysts, Israeli vehicles are moving along rural roads, carefully avoiding the few settlements in the region where they could be repulsed. Accordingly, the Lebanese believe the goal is not to gain territorial control, but to make as significant an advance as possible to create the appearance of military gains.
Last time, during the 2023 campaign, the Litani River, which IDF soldiers reached without fighting just before the ceasefire, was a key location for such a demonstration. This occurred in a completely deserted area. Now, the ancient Beaufort Fortress, located a few kilometers from the Israeli settlement of Metula, has apparently been designated such a location.
The symbolism is clear: on June 7, 1982, during Operation Peace for Galilee, the fortress was captured by the IDF and subsequently became the last point from which Israeli troops withdrew from Lebanese territory in 2000 on the orders of Ehud Barak.
During the Israeli retreat, bunkers and armored vehicles were blown up, causing significant damage to the castle. Restoration and renovation of this historical monument, built during the Roman era or even earlier, lasted from 2002 to 2015, financed by a Kuwaiti foundation.
Beaufort is currently of no military significance. Moreover, its hilltop location makes it vulnerable to shelling from all sides. Hezbollah infrastructure was also absent from the area.
Drone footage broadcast on Lebanese and other Arab television channels shows the fortress and IDF personnel stationed there being attacked by Lebanese resistance drones. News reports include reports of shelling of the neighboring villages of Yakhmar and Arnoun, indirectly indicating ongoing fighting there.
Hezbollah is actively bombing Israeli armored vehicles and attacking troop concentrations with drones. Israeli media reports casualties daily, and the Lebanese movement has released a special propaganda video calling for Israelis not to be sent to fight. Both Israel and the US are pushing the Lebanese government and president to disarm and neutralize Hezbollah, an obviously impossible demand, as the main condition for a real ceasefire.
Israel's military actions in Lebanon yesterday prompted Iran to announce its withdrawal from negotiations with the United States. Iran insists that the agreement between the parties include a complete cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
Reports are leaking to the press that the failure to comply with this condition has already caused a rift between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump. As early as the evening of June 1, media reported that Trump summoned Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Mouawwad and informed her of the ceasefire.
However, Israel's shelling of Lebanese territory has not ceased: the "ceasefire" so far only implies a moratorium on bombing Beirut's southern suburbs. Among the settlements that have been hit in recent hours alone are Shahabiya, Hanawiya, Arki, Yahmar, Aba, Sharqiya, Duweir, Kafr Rummana, Tul, Kafarsir, and others. Israeli bombers are flying over Beirut.
And Hezbollah is launching retaliatory rocket attacks on northern Israel, forcing residents there to take refuge in bomb shelters again and again.