Israel Hezbullah conflict |Israel Palestine Issue

Israel-Hezbollah conflict

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Context:

A deadly rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has added to concerns that Israel.

Details:

In revenge of Hebollah’s attacks, Israeli airstrikes have pounded areas where Hezbollah operates in southern Lebanon and struck the Bekaa Valley near the Syrian border.
Israeli strikes have killed some 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, according to security and medical sources and a Reuters tally of death notifications issued by Hezbollah.

Background to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah:

Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel on Oct. 8, a day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza war.
Hezbollah are an ally of Hamas.
The attacks by them aim to support Palestinians who are under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.
Hezbollah has vowed that it will not halt its attacks on Israel unless a ceasefire in Gaza comes into force.
The Gaza war has drawn in Iran-backed militants across the region.

Hezbollah:

●Hezbollah is a Shia militia-cum-political party in Lebanon.

●Hezbollah is widely deemed the most powerful member of the Iran-backed network, known as the Axis of Resistance.

●It was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon that year, and waged years of guerrilla war that led Israel to withdraw from south Lebanon in 2000.

Hezbollah Israel conflict:

●Hezbollah and Israel have fought many wars before.

●Israeli troops have invaded Lebanon several times in the past, reaching as far as Beirut in the 1982 invasion that aimed to crush Lebanon-based Palestinian guerrillas.

●In 2000, after 18 years of occupation of southern Lebanon, Israel was forced to withdraw mainly due to the fighting of Hezbollah.

●In 2006, Israel invaded Lebanon, aimed at destroying Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

●But after a month of Israeli aerial and land attacks, Hezbollah fired hundreds of short-range rockets into northern Israel.

●Ever since, both sides have been wary of another open conflict. They have been observing a tenuous ceasefire for 14 years.

Israel’s view on Hezbollah

Israel has long viewed Hezbollah as the biggest threat at its borders and has been deeply alarmed by its growing arsenal, and the foothold it has established in Syria.

Hezbollah’s anti-Israel ideology

Hezbollah’s ideology is largely defined by conflict with Israel.
Hezbollah deems Israel an illegitimate state established on occupied Palestinian lands and wants the Pasletine state to be restored.

Diplomatic efforts

The United States, which deems Hezbollah a terrorist group, has been at the heart of diplomatic efforts aimed at easing the conflict.
Hezbollah has signalled its eventual openness to an agreement that benefits Lebanon, but has said there can be no discussions until Israel halts the Gaza offensive.
Israel has also said it would prefer a diplomatic settlement that would restore security in the north, but said it is also prepared for a military offensive to achieve the same goal.
A French proposal submitted to Beirut in February included elite Hezbollah fighters withdrawing 10 km (6 miles) from the frontier and negotiations aimed at settling disputes over the land border.

Future Prospects

Much will depend on what happens in Gaza, where efforts to agree a ceasefire could help bring about a rapid de-escalation of tensions in southern Lebanon.

Important articles for reference :

Israel-Palestine conflcit

Sources:

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. On the issue Palestinian demand for separate statehood, India’s stand is that “India is committed to supporting a two-state solution where the Palestinian people are able to live freely in an independent country within secure borders, with due regard to the security needs of Israel.” Do you think that the stand of India on Palestinian issue is in consonance with the national interest of India ? Critically discuss( 250 words)