On October 7, 2023, over a thousand Israeli Jewish people and others were murdered or kidnapped in what is now being called one of the worst attacks in world history. With this attack, the tensions in the Middle East are spiraling. The conflict in the Middle East is no longer limited to the war in the Gaza Strip; it is now spreading to Southern Lebanon and has a serious chance of expanding into a wider Middle East conflict.
It is hard to believe that merely four years ago the Abraham Accords nearly marked a point of complete peace in the Middle East, and now we are once again on the brink of all-out war. Since then, Iran has grown massively in power and now serves as a massive sponsor for many terrorist organizations to compensate for its mediocre military strength. Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis all work side-by-side against Israel, which is causing the war to reach new levels.
Hamas, as you may already know, is the organization that was voted into power in the Gaza Strip and they are responsible for the horrendous murder that took place on October 7th. However, Hezbollah is a terrorist group that has been launching missiles into northern Israel for many months and has caused the region to become desolate and evacuate much of its population (breakingdefense.com).
On September 17, 2024, Israel had enough of the attacks of Hezbollah, as they strategically exploded pagers and walkie-talkies utilized by the Hezbollah terrorist members. Israel secretively rigged the pagers with explosives when selling them (indirectly) to Hezbollah and was able to kill a few dozen people while injuring thousands more. According to CNN, “The attack blindsided the group, which had opted for analog technologies after forgoing cell phones to avoid Israeli infiltration.”
In the following week, Israel intensified its attacks on Hezbollah, as they began sending airstrikes into Lebanon. According to PBS, “In just over a week, intensified Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed seven high-ranking commanders and officials from the powerful Hezbollah militant group.” Most notably, the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who led the organization since 1992, was killed in an airstrike on September 27, 2024. The acting leader of Hezbollah has since vowed “to fight on after former head Nasrallah’s death.”
Following these counter-offensive Israeli attacks, on October 1, 2024, Iran once again launched well over one hundred ballistic missiles, attempting to barrage Israel. According to the Times of Israel, the “IDF [is] planning ‘serious and significant’ [in] response to Iranian ballistic missile attack.” Significant escalation of the tensions in the Middle East is a looming threat that is appearing all the more likely, this barrage of missiles over Israel occurred mere hours after the Israeli military commended a ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Since October 1st, Israel has launched a massive amount of missiles into Lebanon as they continue their ground invasion. The goal of the Israeli incursion, according to Israel, “is aimed at Hezbollah targets that pose an immediate threat to communities in northern Israel.” The death toll continues to rise in both Gaza and now southern Lebanon as the conflict continues to escalate.
On October 7, 2024, on the anniversary of the initial attack, Hamas and Hezbollah launched dozens of missiles into Israel, especially in the Tel Aviv area as hundreds of Israelis mourn and memorialize the tragic murders that occurred one year ago. Many hostages have been released but of the 251 Israelis and foreigners who were taken on October 7, that number has only dropped to 101 (Israel). Of those 101 hostages, there are still four Americans being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza, and the vital status of many of these hostages is unknown.
Four years after the Abraham Accords, and the near complete achievement of peace in the Middle East, now appears as an implausible and unbelievable feat. Due to the tensions in the Middle East, with Israel seeking to provide sustainable defenses for its people with its ground invasions of its adversaries and Iran with its proxy groups continuing to attack Israel; it seems, unfortunately, very likely that the conflict in the Middle East will continue to expand as outside mediators fail to deescalate the conflict.
Photo courtesy of Financial Times, Al Jazeera, and NPR.
