Global organizations, including the United Nations, have issued clear condemnations of the attacks, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
But experts on humanitarian law and military strategy say it’s not evident the attacks violate international standards.
Biden administration officials have feverishly worked to avoid escalation between Hezbollah and Israel since Hamas carried out the Oct. 7 attacks out of concern that an intensified conflict between the two would spiral into a destabilizing regional war.
Israel on Thursday launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets, saying it carried out hundreds of strikes in Lebanon.
Earlier, Israel said it hit at least 30 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including a weapons storage facility, adding it will continue to “operate against the threat of the Hezbollah.”
The Biden administration is in a precarious position as it tries to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East as a result of deadly device explosions that occurred throughout Lebanon this week and are widely thought to have been planned by Israel. Many in the international community have expressed concern and even outright hatred.
The electronic devices, which include pagers and walkie-talkies, were distributed to members of the U.S. government more than 48 hours ago. S. -designated terrorist organization Hezbollah started to blow up in large numbers, leaving at least 37 dead and 2,931 injured, according to Lebanese authorities. The Biden administration, however, has not yet claimed accountability for the operation or vehemently condemned the collateral harm it brought about, which the Lebanese authorities claim includes the deaths of at least two children.
At a press conference on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded, “Obviously, children being harmed, people being harmed is difficult to see and not something that we want to see,” but she would not comment from the podium. ****.
In addition to declining to comment on whether the attacks qualified as lawful warfare, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated that “as a general principle, we do believe it’s a legitimate practice for any country to defend itself by fighting terrorist organizations.”. “.
However, because of the significant risk to innocent people, sources tell ABC News that the CIA has long been hesitant to use the operation’s infiltrating supply chain strategy.
The attacks, which occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, have been categorically denounced by international organizations, such as the United Nations.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement that “it violates international human rights law to simultaneously target thousands of individuals, whether civilians or members of armed groups, without knowing who was in possession of the targeted devices, their location, and their surroundings at the time of the attack.”.
The USA. N. has demanded an exhaustive inquiry into the incident, and the Security Council of the organization will convene an urgent meeting on Friday to talk about the assaults.
However, military strategy and humanitarian law experts disagree, saying it’s not clear that the attacks violate international law.
Rand Corp. senior political scientist Raphael Cohen stated, “It’s a whole lot more targeted than dropping a 2,000-pound bomb.”. “As far as mitigation goes, this was as good as it gets. “.”.
“It’s proportionate, based on my experience,” retired Col. Seth Krummich, former chief of staff for special operations of U. S. The vice president of Global Guardian, a company that offers global security services, and Central Command both commented on the attacks. “Israel has succeeded both strategically and operationally with this. “.
Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for the widespread explosions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that his administration would take whatever necessary action to halt Hezbollah’s almost constant rocket barrage, which has forced thousands of Israelis living near the Lebanon border to flee their homes. The explosions occurred following a second round in Lebanon.
Netanyhau declared, “I have already stated that we will safely return the residents of the north to their homes.”. We will definitely carry out that. “. .
An A U. s. This kind of “supply chain interdiction” operation has been planned for at least 15 years, an intelligence source told ABC News on Thursday, confirming that Israel was involved in the production of the pagers that went off this week.
Since Hamas carried out the Oct. 11 attacks, Biden administration officials have been working feverishly to prevent escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. 7 attacks out of concern that an intensified conflict between the two would spiral into a destabilizing regional war.
The USA. S. The Biden administration’s main concern right now is limiting the potential for escalation, and it sees minimizing public disagreement with Israel as beneficial toward that aim, according to officials familiar with the matter. and Israel haven’t always agreed on best practices for countering Hezbollah.
However, the U.S. still has short-term goals when it comes to de-escalation. s. and experts disagree on whether Hezbollah will actually carry out its threat of retaliation or if the attacks have made the organization weaker to the point where it is more open to accepting a diplomatic agreement.
The National Security Council, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense have all collaborated with Brian Katulis, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, who stated that “shows of force like this that knock one combatant back on its heels could be openings to actually secure a negotiated settlement.”.
Even though Hezbollah probably still has the ability to retaliate, Katulis said the organization might not be able to withstand Israel’s subsequent retaliation.
“They are most likely significantly less able to coordinate in the event of an Israeli counterattack,” he stated.
On Thursday, Israel said it had carried out hundreds of strikes in Lebanon and launched a series of strikes on Hezbollah targets. Israel declared earlier that it had struck at least thirty Hezbollah locations in southern Lebanon, including a facility that stored weapons, and that it would keep up its “operations against the threat of the Hezbollah.”. “.
Others, like Dan Byman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a senior adviser to the State Department, stated that while Hezbollah has suffered a major setback, the organization is now much less likely to accept any settlement that is made available.
“After this humiliation, it would be difficult for Hezbollah to reach a compromise because it would appear weak and as though you were giving in to Israeli pressure.”. Which it would be, Byman stated.