Germany Appeals for a ceasefire - attacks in the Middle East continue
The chances of success of the ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia demanded by the USA, Germany and other countries remain uncertain. Numerous government representatives are urgently warning of a further escalation in the Middle East, but the mutual attacks there continue unabated. According to the authorities, almost 100 people have been killed in Lebanon in the space of a day, and in the Gaza Strip people are still being killed practically every hour. A speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday is eagerly awaited.
27.09.2024, 04:50
SDA
A group of states led by the USA and Germany as well as influential Arab countries are calling for a 21-day pause in fighting in order to achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict during this time. According to the Israeli newspaper "Haaretz", the desired negotiations should lead to an end to the war in the region and also to the release of the hostages from Israel still being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. According to the US, the call for a ceasefire was coordinated with the Israeli side. However, Netanyahu quickly made it clear that Hezbollah would continue to be attacked. Nevertheless, many states hope that he could send a signal of détente at the UN.
International voices urge acceptance of the proposal
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin warned of devastating consequences if Israel and Hezbollah fail to reach an agreement. At a meeting with the Israeli opposition politician Benny Gantz, Scholz once again emphasized, according to his government spokesman, that he believed a diplomatic solution was possible. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also warned in New York against a comprehensive regional escalation.
With regard to Israel, EU Council President Charles Michel said that it was absolutely irresponsible to drag Lebanon into the spiral. The Palestinian people had the right to their own state. Denying them this right would "undermine the security of Israel and all Jews". Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib called for international intervention.
Israeli military to "fulfill further missions" in Lebanon
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant announced further military operations in Lebanon. "We need to carry out more missions" to enable the safe return of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north, he said according to his office. Israel's government has declared this to be one of its war aims and therefore wants to force Hezbollah to withdraw from the border area.
According to military sources, Israeli ground troops completed an exercise for combat operations in mountainous terrain with lots of thickets near the border with Lebanon. Israel's army is preparing for a possible ground offensive in the northern neighboring country. However, this could also be a threatening military gesture to force Hezbollah into a diplomatic solution.
Attacks continue - many dead in just one day
According to the Israeli army, it attacked 220 targets in the neighboring country that are attributed to Hezbollah - including individual militiamen, weapons depots and rocket launchers. Conversely, around 170 shells were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, at least 92 people were killed and more than 150 injured in Israeli bombardments within one day.
Another important Hezbollah member was killed in one of the attacks in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. The commander of the militia's drone unit, Mohammed Hussein Srur, had directed numerous attacks on Israel using drones and cruise missiles, the military said. Hezbollah confirmed his death.
The Iranian-backed Shia militia said it had fired 80 rockets at the Israeli town of Safed, among other targets. According to Israeli reports, a house in a neighboring village was hit and a man was injured by shrapnel.
In several areas in the center of Israel and in the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv, rocket alarms were sounded again during the night. According to the army, the warning sirens sounded in response to a - ultimately intercepted - projectile from Yemen, where the Islamist Houthi rebels repeatedly fire rockets at targets in Israel. The most recent missile alert was triggered on Wednesday, when a projectile fired by Hezbollah reached the greater Tel Aviv area for the first time.
People are fleeing to the civil war country of Syria themselves
As a result of the intensive Israeli air strikes with more than 700 deaths since Monday, tens of thousands of people are seeking refuge in emergency shelters in Lebanon. According to the Ministry of the Interior, over 70,000 displaced persons have been taken in there so far.
The exact number of internally displaced persons is currently difficult to determine. Many people have fled to relatives, others are sleeping on the streets. Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad told CNN that he expects 400,000 to 500,000 internally displaced persons.
Syrians in Lebanon face difficult decision
According to the Lebanese Interior Ministry, around 13,500 people have also fled to Syria since Monday - mainly Syrian citizens. According to the UN Refugee Agency, however, Lebanese have also fled to the neighboring country, where civil war has been raging since 2011.
According to government figures, 1.5 million Syrian refugees live in Lebanon, which itself only has around six million inhabitants. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory, more than 100 of them have died in Israeli bombardments in recent days. The people who have fled the horror of war in their country have had to make tough decisions: stay in Lebanon under Israeli fire or return to areas controlled by the Syrian government, where they are at risk of arrest and deportation.
Fighting also continues in the Gaza Strip
In the shadow of the bombardments in Lebanon, fighting also continues in the Gaza Strip. According to barely verifiable Palestinian reports, at least eleven people were killed and 22 others injured in an Israeli attack on a former school building in the north of the territory. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority in the Gaza Strip, minors were among the dead. The building in the Jabaliya refugee district is said to have housed displaced persons.
Israel's army announced that terrorists from the Islamist Hamas had used the building of the former school as a command center and planned attacks on the Jewish state there. Prior to the attack, the army had taken numerous measures to reduce the danger to civilians. Israel accuses Hamas of deliberately entrenching itself in civilian buildings and abusing innocent people as human shields. As a rule, it is almost impossible to independently verify the claims of both sides.
