Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated at the end of March that the Israeli army would operate in Lebanon “similar to the model of Rafah and Beit Hanoun.” Indeed, Israel has been carrying out repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, electricity and water facilities, bridges, roads, and more. Over the past month, Israel has killed more than a thousand people in Lebanon, displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes, and erased entire villages. While Hezbollah directs illegal attacks against Israeli civilian targets, yesterday’s (Thursday, April 9) declaration by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich – made during celebrations marking the construction of a new settlement in the West Bank – that Israel will expand its borders in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, clarifies exactly the vision guiding Israel’s actions. Similar to the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, Israel continues to declare its intentions for widespread destruction and the occupation of Southern Lebanon. The international community, which failed to stop the genocide in Gaza, continues to grant Israel immunity that allows it to spread destruction and death across the Middle East.

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