One year after the Hamas massacre on October 7th, the war has expanded into a regional conflict, involving Lebanon and later Iran. In Gaza, the death toll has reached nearly 42,000. Most of Hamas’ leadership – except for Yahya Sinwar – has been killed, as well as Hasan Nasrallah and much of Hezbollah’s leadership. Meanwhile, 97 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas’ hands, and violence in the West Bank has become increasingly frequent, with many analysts warning of a potential “Gaza-fication” of the area. Reset DOC reached Prof. Olivier Roy, Professor of Political Science at the European University Institute (Florence).
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- Vanessa Breidy 28 September 2024Until September 17, the situation was still under control in Lebanon. That changed when around 3,000 Hezbollah-linked pagers exploded simultaneously around 3:30 PM. Twenty-four hours later, another round of explosions hit hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members. On September 20, commanders from Hezbollah’s Radwan force, a special operations unit, were assassinated in the suburbs of Beirut. By September 23, the conflict had peaked with heavy bombardment in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley, killing over 500 people, many of whom were civilians, women, and children. Attacks on Hezbollah leaders have continued daily, and bombings have reached Byblos and Keserwan. In response, Hezbollah has launched rockets at Haifa and targeted Tel Aviv, a first since the war began.
- Claudia De Martino 6 September 2024The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) claim to have eliminated 17,000 of the original 27,000 Hamas militants, including three of the group’s top four commanders – Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Deif, Salal al-Aruri – leaving only Yahya Sinwar, for the current leader, still at large. However, the Israeli government’s ultimate objectives remain unclear.
- Renzo Guolo 29 August 2024One piece is still missing in the tragic Middle East conflict. After the August 25 clash between Israel and Hezbollah – of which both sides have only provided partial accounts tailored to their internal and external propaganda – an anticipated Iranian retaliation remains pending, announced but postponed to a “timely moment.”
- Vanessa Breidy 31 July 2024Twenty-four hours after Israel’s declaration of war following October 7, 2023, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hasan Nasrallah announced a “war of support for Gaza” from South Lebanon. This declaration was made solely by the political armed party Hezbollah, not the Lebanese government, thus constituting a clear violation of Lebanese state sovereignty and the rule of law. This breach has elicited varied reactions from Lebanese parties, with some Christian parties declaring the inevitability of political system reform and emphasizing the necessity of opening up the debate as soon as the war ends.