The increased tension between Israel and Lebanon after the rocket attack by the Lebanese Shiite group "Hezbollah" on the occupied Golan Heights, which caused the death of 12 youths on a football field in the Druze village of Majdal Shams at the end of last week, is a central topic in the Western press, writes BTA.
Fear grips Lebanon in anticipation of Israeli retaliation, which yesterday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced was coming, notes the American New York Times. "Our response is coming and it will be firm," Netanyahu said at the scene of the tragedy. His words are a leading highlight of the publication, which states that "the risk of total war between Israel and Lebanon is growing". "The New York Times" also noted the reaction of the White House, which said Israel had the right to defend itself but warned its ally that if it took action across the northern border, on Lebanese soil, it could lead to an escalation of tensions alongside the war waged by south in the Gaza Strip against the radical Palestinian group "Hamas".
"Tensions rose on both sides of the Israel-Lebanese border yesterday after Israel's security cabinet authorized Israel's political leadership to decide on the manner and timing of a military response to the bloody rocket attack that was carried out from the territory of Lebanon over the weekend. Prime Minister Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant received permission to act from cabinet members at a meeting Sunday evening," the US newspaper said, citing a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office.
"These children are our children, the children of all of us. Israel will not and cannot allow this to remain without consequences,'' the prime minister said, words contrasting with what was quoted by the "New York Times" opinion of White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. According to the spokesman, the US believes that "there is still time and space for a diplomatic solution" in the conflict between Israel and "Hezbollah".
"The New York Times" points out that tensions in Israel rose on another front after local military police arrested at least nine reservists yesterday at an army base where thousands of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip are being held. An investigation is underway into the "suspicion of ill-treatment of a Palestinian” there.
According to another American newspaper - "Washington Post", the entire Middle East region is preparing for Israel's response. "As tensions rise following the deadly rocket attack launched from Lebanese soil, diplomats are calling for restraint to prevent the war in Gaza from escalating into a regional conflict," said the paper, which noted that civilians on both sides of the Lebanese- the Israeli border are already preparing for a counterstrike by Israel, the scale and strength of which is not yet known.
The region has been gripped by uncertainty, so there are fears that the response will not only be in the form of a targeted strike, but could be expressed in a massive offensive on a wide front, which would lead to a regional war, notes the "Washington Post" , according to whose information the residents of Beirut have stocked up on provisions in case the expected strikes reach the Lebanese capital. At the same time, according to the American newspaper, fighters of "Hezbollah" have threatened to attack in turn Israel's largest port on the Mediterranean Sea, Haifa, and other Israeli cities. The statement of one of the most extreme members of Netanyahu's government - Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich - was also quoted, according to whom "there is no way Israel will restore security for the residents of the north without a war to destroy Hezbollah".
Weakness will not deter the Lebanese Shiite movement after the attack on the football field, the American Wall Street Journal wrote in turn. in an editorial comment. A strong show of US support for Israel would do much more than restraint to prevent a larger regional war, the paper said. "The Western response was a sign of weakness and lack of resolve, continuing the message of recent months that has brought the region to the brink of full-scale war. Something different is needed to upset Hezbollah's calculations before Israel is left with the only choice - military action, writes the Wall Street Journal.
According to the publication, the media worldwide is confused about who launched the missile. "Hezbollah" first announced its attack in the area, but then did not claim responsibility after it became clear that the dead children and youths were Druze Arabs, not Jews, the American newspaper points out. The British in. "Guardian" emphasized the appeal of Western countries to their citizens in Lebanon to leave the country. "Western citizens urged to leave Lebanon as efforts continue to deter Israeli attack," reads a headline in the publication.
The global warning has already been given as the US seeks to limit the scale of Israel's response by urging it not to attack densely populated Beirut, said the British newspaper, which spoke of a "frenzied diplomatic push for deterrence" of Netanyahu. It is noted that in addition to Britain, the US, Germany and France have warned their citizens not to travel to Lebanon, and people from these countries who are currently there are urged to return home as quickly as possible. "Guardian" quoted British Foreign Secretary David Lammy as saying that events were moving "rapidly", being "almost unpredictable" and could seriously affect trade routes through Lebanon.
Another British publication - "Independent", refers to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who admitted the prospect of a full-scale conflict. “The attack of "Hezbollah" cross all the red lines and you will see the corresponding answer. The moment of all-out war against "Hezbollah" and Lebanon", said Katz, quoted by the newspaper.