Anthony Ross Bagamasbad
Hezbollah’s announcement
On Sunday, Hezbollah officially announced the killing of its head of media relations, Mohammed Afif. The attack was conducted by the Israeli military in a strike that targeted the headquarters of the Baath political party situated in the Ras al-Naba neighbourhood, central Beirut. A neighbourhood that, prior to the strikes, had been used as a refuge for people seeking to escape the volatility of Beirut’s southern suburbs. This strike acts as an ominous echo of what had already occurred on Sept.27, when the Israeli military struck Beirut killing Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah and several senior officials; a staunch reminder is made yet again of Netanyahu’s resolute desire to put pressure on Hezbollah to agree to a ceasefire. However, this game of political chess is a volatile one, with each killing of Hezbollah’s top officials, a further step back seems to be taken from any ceasefire agreement. This is despite efforts from the US ambassador to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to propose such an agreement, the details of which remain unclear.
one of the group’s most distinguished officials as their premier spokesman
Who was Mohammed Afif?
Raised under the tutelage of his father, a prominent Shia cleric, Afif had a long-standing political role in Hezbollah’s public relations. Before taking on the role as head of Hezbollah’s media relations, Afif was in charge of Al Manar, the Hezbollah-run TV network for several years. After the killing of Nasrallah, Afif’s name shined greater under the spotlight becoming one of the group’s most distinguished officials as their premier spokesman, tending to several press conferences in Beirut discussing Israel’s continued bombardment of the capital. On November 11, his most recent appearance before reporters, he outlined Israel’s failure to occupy territory in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s willingness to engage in a “long war”. Afif’s rhetoric may have proved damaging to the image of Israel that Netanyahu is trying to portray, an image of a nation successfully undermining its attackers which in Afif’s eyes and words, remained unsuccessful in
doing so.
a death toll of 3,841 people
The “Long War”
Despite several calls for an immediate ceasefire, Israel’s continued military strikes on Lebanese territory show no signs of stopping. It is an attempt, at least on Netanyahu’s part, to assert Israel’s willingness to defend its territorial integrity by any means, even if this entails the death of Hezbollah’s senior officials. Yet this seems to be the case of an eye-for-an-eye, the defence of one’s territorial integrity at the expense of another’s. As in the past year, Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon has reached a death toll of 3,841 people (undistinguished between civilians and combatants) and nearly 15,000 wounded, a devastating figure that can hardly be ignored.
reckless escalation of conflicts in the Middle East
Amid growing international outrage, Netanyahu faces an immense struggle not only on the ground but on his political image as well. What was once considered a defensive struggle for the state of Israel, is now being scrutinised by the international community for its reckless escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, resulting in an arrest warrant for Netanyahu issued by the ICC. The death of another prominent political figure, Mohammed Afif marks a further escalation in a conflict that seems to have no end in sight.
But an end has never looked more necessary. Israel’s determination, in the face of this continued international outrage, may prove devastating for any hopes of an immediate ceasefire. As the war in the Middle East continues, the international community faces an insurmountable challenge to prevent the conflict from escalating any further than it already has. While Netanyahu and the Israeli military may believe Afif’s killing to be a significant success in undermining Hezbollah’s activities, his words will more than likely remain.
how far is Netanyahu willing to take this war?
This “long war” is one that Hezbollah will keep fighting. Yet the question must be asked, with the ongoing targeted attacks on Hezbollah’s senior officials, to what extent can Hezbollah keep fighting without completely diminishing its own political order?
A strike at the very centre of Beirut raises further questions, how far is Netanyahu willing to take this war? And to what extent will Hezbollah respond to the continued killings of its top officials? As the war continues, the albatross of the Middle East grows with each passing day.
Anthony Ross Bagamasbad
Featured image courtesy of Charbel Karam via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
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