Netanyahu and Biden Face Dilemma in Responding to Iran… A Retaliatory Strike Is Inevitable and Decisive / Airstrikes and Naval Bombardment Target Dahiyeh and Southern Lebanon Placed Under Heavy Fire to Weaken the Frontline

 October 04, 2024

The political editor wrote

Airstrikes on Dahiyeh (the southern suburb of Beirut) persisted, aiming to destroy more buildings and displace the remaining residents. Claims that these strikes were surgically targeting resistance weapons storage facilities were debunked by the Bashoura attack, which killed seven civil defence health workers simply for operating under the Islamic Health Authority. At midnight, Dahiyeh was subjected to a series of intense, consecutive airstrikes, while the entire South of Lebanon remained under fire. The frontline from Kafr Shuba to Naqoura and several kilometres inland was relentlessly bombarded with heavy artillery and airstrikes intended to weaken the resistance and destabilise the front, while deeper areas were targeted to drive out civilians and cause widespread destruction.

The airstrike frenzy reflected the growing desperation of the occupation entity, grappling with two major challenges. The first was how to handle Iran’s strike, which the occupation army had to admit inflicted severe damage on its main airbase in Nevatim. This attack challenged the very notion of its deterrence and control, shattering the illusion that it could reshape the region through firepower. U.S.-Israeli consultations appeared to be stuck in a loop, searching for a response that would avoid an all-out confrontation with Iran. Meanwhile, Iran made it clear that all preparations for a retaliatory response were complete. Iran promised a powerful counterstrike if Israel responded, with the only variable being the scale and intensity of its response depending on the Israeli action. Thus, the U.S. was advising against provoking Iran by targeting its strategic and economic infrastructure, such as nuclear and oil facilities.

The second, potentially more dangerous, challenge for the occupation entity was the growing threat its army faced along the frontline stretching from the town of Khiyam to Aita al-Shaab. Repeated attempts to break through the resistance’s defences on key axes of military advance were failing. These axes included Kafr Kila and Adaisseh from one side, Maroun Al-Ras and Yaroun from another, and Aita Al-Shaab from a third. These are the same axes that saw battles during the 2006 July War, but this time, the resistance was fighting in areas directly adjacent to the Blue Line, not inside towns and cities. Meanwhile, resistance rockets were raining down heavily on settlements in northern occupied Palestine and on military bases of the occupation army. They also targeted massing points and gatherings of occupation forces preparing to enter the battlefield. As of yesterday, just like the day before, the occupation army had suffered 100 casualties – dead and wounded – from roadside bombs detonated against advancing units, ambushes, and missile and artillery strikes.