A poster featuring Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in front of a building damaged by an Israeli strike in the southern suburb of Beirut on Sept. 20, 2024. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/OLJ)
The question is no longer up for debate. With at least 492 dead, tens of thousands of Lebanese fleeing their homes in fear, hundreds of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa area, and a targeted hit on Beirut’s southern suburbs, this is no longer a mere escalation or low-intensity conflict — it’s war.A multidimensional war that, while not yet total — neither in scope nor in the scale of forces deployed, including ground troops — could quickly escalate to that point.The situation on the Lebanese-Israeli front is unfolding rapidly. Just a few months ago, although Hezbollah was facing tactical losses on the ground, it seemed poised for a strategic victory, with the prospect of a cease-fire in Gaza that wouldn’t see Hamas eliminated.Today, however — and this could, of course, change — it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which...
The question is no longer up for debate. With at least 492 dead, tens of thousands of Lebanese fleeing their homes in fear, hundreds of Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa area, and a targeted hit on Beirut’s southern suburbs, this is no longer a mere escalation or low-intensity conflict — it’s war.A multidimensional war that, while not yet total — neither in scope nor in the scale of forces deployed, including ground troops — could quickly escalate to that point.The situation on the Lebanese-Israeli front is unfolding rapidly. Just a few months ago, although Hezbollah was facing tactical losses on the ground, it seemed poised for a strategic victory, with the prospect of a cease-fire in Gaza that wouldn’t see Hamas eliminated.Today, however — and this could, of course, change — it’s hard to imagine a...