The news
Israel expanded its offensive in southern Lebanon on Sunday, calling on the United Nations to evacuate its peacekeeping units and reportedly using tanks to storm through the gates of a peacekeeping base.
The call comes just days after Israeli forces wounded several UN peacekeepers, sparking international criticism. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, an outspoken supporter of Israel, spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and denounced the attacks.
The push marks the latest escalation in Israel’s attack on Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group and one of the most powerful political parties in Lebanon. Despite its losses, Hezbollah “falsely presents Israeli ground operations as a failure to undermine Israeli will.” and underscore the resilience of Hezbollah itself,” the Institute of War said in a recent report.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister has pushed back on the idea that Iran may not respond to an expected Israeli attack, warning that there are “no red lines” for such a defense and that Iran is prepared for a “war situation.”
