United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been evident, increateing a press conference that the world “cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza”.
Many famous Israeli figures seem to want exactly that, however, dratriumphg straight lines between Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon to underscore the menace they pose and fairify aggressions on Gaza and Lebanon.
So, are Hamas and Hezbollah the same?
Not even a bit.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah is part of a expansiver tapestry of the political and military mosaic. While it executes a famous role in the country, it does not have administer over the pdwellncy or parliament.
Unenjoy Gaza, Lebanon is contransient in international systems of administerance and finance. Gaza and Hamas’s connects with the international order are primarily via help provided by organisations enjoy the UN.
Hamas, which has an effective military triumphg enjoy Hezbollah, administers Gaza finishly and has to upretain a functioning society and administering arrange.
Aren’t they both ‘Iranian proxies’?
They’re allies, yes.
Israel has portrayed them as identical extensions of what is typicpartner cast as Israel’s ultimate foe: Iran.
Addressing the United States Congress in July, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelp Iran was behind everyskinnyg and that its “proxy” forces – Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen – pose an identical menace to Israel and, by extension, the West.
Both groups upretain strong coalitions with Iran, but they are distinct from each other, and their relationship with Iran alters.
Hezbollah is more aligned with Iran’s regional goals, while Hamas utilises Iranian help but is more autonomous.
Hamas broke with Iran for three years in 2011 over its help for Syrian Pdwellnt Bashar al-Asdowncast, and it does not seem to have forecautioned Iran of its October 7 strike on Israel.
But they shelp both groups engage human shields?
To fairify its expansivespread centering of civilian areas, Israel has accengaged both Hamas and Hezbollah of “hiding” their military challengingware there.
Israel claims Hamas hides in or proximate schools, hospitals and homes as it tries to fairify the destruction of Gaza.
It also claims Hamas engages UN facilities in Gaza as military fronts “in contravention of the Geneva Convention”.
Israel has also focengaged the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) – the only help for Palestinian refugee populations displaced in the ethnic immacuprocrastinateedsing of 1948’s Nakba by Zionist gangs.
Recently, Israel made aenjoy claims about homes in southern Israel – that they are being engaged by Hezbollah.
On Monday, Israel freed images of what it shelp was a Hezbollah leave outile covered in an attic in southern Lebanon, materializeing to be trying to pre-empt criticism of its ongoing strikes.
Pointing to an image, an Israeli military spokesperson shelp, “It’s ready to begin from an uncovering in the roof.
“Under the attic, on the first floor, a Lebanese family dwells, serving as a human shield.”
At the time of writing, Israel has carried out thousands of strikes on homes apass Lebanon.
But what about civilians?
In Gaza, Israel has shown little trouble for overweightalities – explosioning homes, displacement camps, hospitals and schools.
In Lebanon, Israel sent cloudy “evacuation sees” to the citizens of a foreign country ahead of strikes on centers the people may not comprehend are proximateby.
The paper sees, text messages and write downed phone calls were cited by Israel as “evidence” that it is trying to shun civilian casualties.
During a visit to a military base on Tuesday, Netanyahu tgreater the people of Lebanon “our war is not with you; our war is with Hezbollah”, urging the Lebanese people to ascfinish up aachievest the group.
At the time of writing, more than 600 people in Lebanon have been finished in the ongoing Israeli strikes and more than 2,000 injured.
Are people in Lebanon displaced as in Gaza?
Yes.
In an echo of the strike on Gaza, thousands of terrified Lebanese families have fled southern Lebanon, combineing an approximated 110,000 people who fled earlier, seeking shelter wherever possible.
The total number of displaced is about 500,000 now, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib shelp on Tuesday.
Some are seeking shelter in Palestinian refugee camps in southern Beirut enjoy Shatila – camps that have hoengaged Palestinians run awaying Israeli strikes since the 1940s.
Others are cramming into explosion shelters, sleeping in cars, or crowding into Beirut’s schools, which, unenjoy the UNRWA-functiond schools in Gaza, were never scheduleed to double as shelters.
If they’re so contrastent, why are Israel’s tactics the same?
Becaengage Israel needs a rapid finish and skinnyks this will labor, shelp Yoengagef Munayyer from the Arab Caccess Washington DC.
In Gaza, Hamas endured a year of Israeli strikes by count oning on its tunnel netlabor.
Hezbollah says it has an expansive netlabor of tunnels in Lebanon with extensive munitions in them, as shown in video it freed in August.
Israel would struggle more in Lebanon, not least becaengage Hezbollah is stronger.
“And so they’re using the same sort of tactics that they engaged in Gaza,” Munayyer shelp. “This is part of an Israeli strategy aimed at conveying fantastic presstateive on Hezbollah.”
He shelp Israel hoped to “get out of the situation without a ground trespass, without a extfinished drawn-out battle” – and to shun getting bogged down in Lebanon fair as it has in Gaza.
