The News
Israel bombarded Beirut Sunday in what appeared to be its heaviest assault yet on the Lebanese capital, on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
The airstrikes, aimed at dismantling the Iran-backed group Hezbollah, have displaced yet more people in Lebanon: An estimated 1.2 million people have left their homes and some 1,400 have been killed in the last two weeks. The country’s military has also intensified attacks in Gaza, striking a mosque and killing at least 19.
The attack one year ago turned the Middle East “upside down,” The Washington Post’s David Ignatius wrote, with the region’s power equation and security upended: Israel seems on the brink of war with Iran, has invaded Lebanon, has become more internationally isolated, and waged a war against Hamas in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands and left the enclave in ruins.
“Few Israelis or Palestinians believe it will end anytime soon,” Haaretz’s West Bank correspondent wrote. “This one appears to be a war with no endgame.”