Explosions in Lebanon foreshadow potential war

“Awful.” “…really sad for the innocent people who are dying.” “…wishing people could talk instead of using explosives.”

These are comments from Hope Students on the recent explosions in Lebanon. Tucked next to Syria, Israel and Jordan, we can find Lebanon, a small country that is unexpectedly facing war with Israel. Recently, America  has heard of the war between Israel and Palestine, but this potential wider war between Israel and Lebanon is only now becoming prevalent. On Sep. 17 and 18, the walkie-talkies and personal pagers of Hezbollah exploded, killing at least thirty-two people and harming thousands, according to Lebanese health officials (Turak). According to NPR journalist Willem Marx, Hezbollah is a group “…designated as a terrorist organization by several nations, including the United States, but many of its members and supporters operate in civilian areas across Lebanon — and some of the explosions left innocent bystanders, including children, injured or dead.” Many are suggesting that Israel may have been behind the explosions.

Additionally, according to Sheera Frenkel, a journalist for the New York Times, this incident is not one of chance or sudden planning. “Israel had put into motion a plan to establish a shell company that would pose as an international pager producer” years before these explosions, and they created a product in which the explosives would be in for years before use. This might be Hezbollah’s way of widening conflicts and increasing tensions between Lebanon and Israel. However, conflict between Lebanon and Israel along the border has existed for decades. Although Israel’s involvement was originally unconfirmed, there have now been airstrikes in Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil. Lebanon has now sent over “140 rockets, most of which were shot down by Israel.” Though we do not know where this rising conflict will lead, we can only hope and pray that the bloodshed will soon end and peace will reign.

(Featured image credit: Hassan Hankir, Reuters)