What began as tit-for-tat retaliation between Hezbollah and Israel on the Lebanese border has blurred into a steady conflict, sparking fears of all-out war.
Saturday saw Israeli jets strike an aluminum factory in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh, 12 miles north of the border — well beyond the traditional zone in which retaliatory fire has been considered acceptable by both sides.
Israeli officials have also ramped up their rhetoric: “Lebanon’s citizens will bear the cost of this recklessness, and of Hezbollah’s decision to be the defender of Hamas-ISIS,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said last week.
The bars and hotels are empty now and there are few customers at the quay side restaurants “We want peace and we want food on our table,” said Sami Rizk, a fisherman who said demand for his daily catch has halved.
Altogether, more than 46,000 Lebanese have escaped the border region to safer parts of the country and the number is growing by the day, according to figures provided by the International Organization for Migration.
Most Lebanese are convinced that Israel has a long-term plan to take over the country, said Samir Hussein, an engineer living in Tyre who runs an organization dedicated to civic dialogue.
Israel’s heightened rhetoric and the prospect of a decisive Hamas defeat has left Hezbollah with difficult choices, said Mohammed Obeid, a political analyst close to the group.
The original article contains 1,090 words, the summary contains 206 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Saturday saw Israeli jets strike an aluminum factory in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh, 12 miles north of the border — well beyond the traditional zone in which retaliatory fire has been considered acceptable by both sides.
Israeli officials have also ramped up their rhetoric: “Lebanon’s citizens will bear the cost of this recklessness, and of Hezbollah’s decision to be the defender of Hamas-ISIS,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said last week.
The bars and hotels are empty now and there are few customers at the quay side restaurants “We want peace and we want food on our table,” said Sami Rizk, a fisherman who said demand for his daily catch has halved.
Altogether, more than 46,000 Lebanese have escaped the border region to safer parts of the country and the number is growing by the day, according to figures provided by the International Organization for Migration.
Most Lebanese are convinced that Israel has a long-term plan to take over the country, said Samir Hussein, an engineer living in Tyre who runs an organization dedicated to civic dialogue.
Israel’s heightened rhetoric and the prospect of a decisive Hamas defeat has left Hezbollah with difficult choices, said Mohammed Obeid, a political analyst close to the group.
The original article contains 1,090 words, the summary contains 206 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!