Israel, Hezbollah on brink of war amid exchange of strikes

TEL AVIV

The latest escalation brought Israel and Hezbollah back to the brink of the war on Sept. 20, as the Israeli military carried out dozens of strikes across southern Lebanon in what Lebanese security sources said were some of the most intense bombings in months.

On Sept. 20, Hezbollah also said it fired barrages of rockets at Israeli military bases in retaliation for strikes on south Lebanon.

Tensions soared following deadly sabotage attacks on its communications devices in Lebanon on Sept 17 and 18.

Speaking for the first time since the attack in which hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies detonated across Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed that Israel would face retribution.

Describing the attacks as a "massacre" and a possible "act of war,” Nasrallah said Israel would face "just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not.”

As he delivered his address, Israeli fighter jets roared over Beirut, their sonic booms shaking buildings and sending residents scrambling for cover.

Hours later, Israel's military said its jets hit "approximately 100 launchers and additional terrorist infrastructure sites, consisting of approximately 1,000 barrels" set to be fired immediately.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Israel struck the south at least 52 times. It was one of the heaviest Israeli bombardments of south Lebanon since the border exchanges erupted last October.

On Sept. 20, the Israeli army called on civilians in numerous communities and cities in northern Israel to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice. This move came a day after the Israeli army chief approved “battle plans” for the northern front, according to media.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned that Israel may launch a ground war in southern Lebanon in the near future.

In another report, the daily said that Senior U.S. officials are now privately admitting that they do not anticipate Israel and Hamas reaching a ceasefire deal before President Joe Biden’s term concludes.

"No deal is imminent. I'm not sure it ever gets done," one of the US officials told the Journal.

Israel submits challenge to ICC request

In another development, Israel said on Sept. 20 it had submitted an "official challenge" to a request from the International Criminal Court prosecutor for an arrest warrant against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan in May requested the court issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

"The State of Israel submitted today its official challenge to the ICC's jurisdiction, as well as the legality of the prosecutor's requests for arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister and minister of defense," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein said on X.

Khan also sought warrants against top Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Deif on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The prosecutor dropped the application for Haniyeh on August 2 "because of the changed circumstances caused by Mr Haniyeh's death" in Tehran on July 31, the ICC said in a statement this month.