Democracy Now! / September 30, 2024
Guest : Kareem Chehayeb – Beirut-based journalist reporting on Lebanon, Syria and Iraq for the Associated Press
Links : “What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah”
Israel is expanding its attacks across the Middle East, bombing more sites in Yemen and Lebanon over the weekend after carrying out a massive attack in the suburbs of Beirut on Friday that killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top commanders of the militant group. Nasrallah led Hezbollah for more than three decades and was considered one of the most powerful figures in the region. Israel likely used U.S.-made 2,000-pound bombs in Friday’s attack that levelled several high-rise apartment buildings, with a death toll estimated in the hundreds. U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both called Nasrallah’s killing “a measure of justice” while saying they were against further escalation of the war. “The news really shocked all of Lebanon, both supporters and people who oppose him,” says Associated Press reporter Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, who notes about 1 million people inside Lebanon are now displaced by the fighting. “The airstrikes aren’t stopping; they’re continuing. And now people are anticipating a ground invasion.”
TRANSCRIPT
AMY GOODMAN: News reports from northern Israel show Israeli military tanks massing along the Israel-Lebanon border after Israel launched its first attack in central Beirut. Earlier today, Israel struck a building near the busy Cola Bridge intersection of the Lebanese capital after carrying out a massive attack Friday on a Beirut suburb that assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. He led Hezbollah for more than three decades and was considered one of the most powerful figures in the Middle East.
Israel likely used U.S.-made bombs in Friday’s attack that levelled several high-rise apartment buildings. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both called the killing of Nasrallah a, quote, “measure of justice.”
Meanwhile, Monday’s attack targeted senior figures in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Palestinian militant group. The strike levelled another apartment building.
MOAMEN AL-KHATIB: [translated] We are Palestinian firefighters and rescuers from the camps in Lebanon who came to help our brothers after the raid that happened here in Ain al-Delb. We have been here since yesterday, since the incident. We have not left the site, and we will remain here until we complete the entire mission, God willing. There’s still people under the rubble, people we have not been able to rescue yet. We are doing everything we can to save them as quickly as possible.
AMY GOODMAN: Also today, Israel killed the head of Hamas in Lebanon along with his wife, son and daughter in a strike on their home in a Palestinian refugee camp.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the order to kill Nasrallah shortly after giving a speech before the U.N. General Assembly. Before his remarks, dozens of diplomats walked out of the U.N. General Assembly hall in protest.
Today, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, vowed to fight on, saying the group is prepared for a long war, in his first speech since Nasrallah was killed.
SHEIKH NAIM QASSEM: [translated] Israel is committing massacres in all areas of Lebanon and choosing villages one by one until there is no village or house that does not have traces of Israeli aggression in it. It is attacking civilians, health organizations, al-Risala Scouts, all those who are in the streets and all those who are staying in their homes, including children, women and the elderly. These people are not fighting the fighters but rather are killing and committing massacres against civilians and innocents. … The Islamic resistance will continue to confront the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza in Palestine, in defense of Lebanon.
AMY GOODMAN: Over the past 24 hours, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed at least 105 people, bringing the death toll over the past two weeks to over 1,000, with 6,000 people injured. The Israeli attacks have displaced about a million people in Lebanon. More than 100,000 have fled from Lebanon to Syria, according to the United Nations.
Meanwhile, Israel forces launched a wave of airstrikes on Yemen Sunday, targeting the city of Hodeidah for the second time in recent months, in response to missile fires by Houthi militants.
This comes as more than a thousand Israelis protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday to call on Prime Minister Netanyahu to refocus his efforts on securing the release of hostages in Gaza, where the death toll from nearly a year of Israeli attacks is nearing at least 42,000.
For more, we begin in Beirut to speak with Kareem Chehayeb, the Beirut-based journalist reporting on Lebanon, Syria and Iraq for the Associated Press. His recent piece is headlined “What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.”
Kareem, welcome to Democracy Now! Well, why don’t you tell us about the significance of this assassination and who exactly the Hezbollah leader was?
KAREEM CHEHAYEB: So, this assassination really rattled all of Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah for decades led Hezbollah and oversaw significant developments within the militant group, oversaw, you know, ending Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon, Hezbollah’s sort of transformation into having a more heavy involvement in Lebanese politics with MPs, parliamentarians, ministers and so on, and also led Hezbollah when it began to expand more regionally, notably in Syria, where they played a pivotal role in keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power.
The news really shocked all of Lebanon, both supporters and people who oppose him. I recall I was on the streets here in Beirut when the news happened. And, you know, some of the supporters were screaming. They were [inaudible] shocked by the news. And, you know, they thought that this was a leader — some told me that they felt like he was immortal almost. And, of course, his assassination, on top of a handful of Hezbollah leaders, seven senior leaders, over the past eight days, really rattled the organization. Even the deputy leader Naim Qassem said so today. But he said that they’re going to regroup and appoint a new leader soon. It’s unclear when. And it’s definitely something that rattled the region, for sure.
AMY GOODMAN: I want to go to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu speaking this weekend.
PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU: [translated] Nasrallah was not just another terrorist. He was the terrorist. He was the axis of the axis, the main engine of Iran’s “axis of evil.” He and his people were the architects of the plan to destroy Israel. … As long as Nasrallah was alive, he would have quickly rebuilt the capabilities we took from Hezbollah. Therefore, I gave the directive, and Nasrallah is longer with us.
AMY GOODMAN: If you can respond, Kareem, to what the Israeli prime minister said after the assassination, and also what has happened since, both the killing of a top-level Iranian commander along with Nasrallah and now the head of Hamas in Lebanon with his family?
KAREEM CHEHAYEB: So, you know, a lot of people, after the assassination of Nasrallah, sort of wondered, you know, “What happens next now?” The Israeli government maintains that their goal is to secure their north for their residents to return. And, you know, since the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, other senior officials have been assassinated, as well. And the airstrikes, you know, aren’t stopping; they’re continuing. And now people are anticipating a ground invasion.
And, of course, experts say that Iran is sort of in a policy dilemma. You know, Iran has dealt with several attacks that are widely blamed on Israel, including a strike on a consulate building in Syria and the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July. Iran hasn’t necessarily responded in such a decisive way. And the question is, you know: What are Tehran’s red lines? We don’t know how they’re going to respond to that and what this means for the region. What we do know is that, you know, they’ve sort of maintained that they’re going to keep piling diplomatic pressure. This is according to statements from different Iranian government officials. But the big question is: Given the severity of this attack, you know, will this eventually not just widen the war in Lebanon, but also have a regional component? Iran has, you know, proxies in Yemen and Iraq, and there’s a lot of speculation as to whether they will be involved or not. So, there is a really big sort of gap as to what happens next in this very intense phase of the war.
AMY GOODMAN: Kareem, we’re speaking to you in Beirut. So, you’re not only a journalist covering all of this, you’re a resident there. Can you describe what the blast was like in the suburb on Friday, and then this Beirut-based blast that just took place?
KAREEM CHEHAYEB: Yeah. The airstrike in the Beirut southern suburbs that killed Hassan Nasrallah was probably one of the most, if not the most, intense strike thus far in this conflict. You know, eyewitnesses and others, even as actually close to this office, heard eight to 10 explosions. There were multiple airstrikes. And it levelled several buildings, several buildings to the ground. It was a very shocking experience for many here. A lot of people were panicking. And it definitely sparked a wave of displacement. A lot of people in the Beirut southern suburbs immediately fled their homes and went in large groups to other neighbourhoods in Beirut to find safety.
And then, the strike yesterday near the Cola Bridge, you know, this is a — it’s a very central part of the city. It’s very busy during the day. You know, it’s a critical point for public transportation, as well. And this is the most central part of Beirut where Israel has struck so far in this conflict. And, you know, a lot of the questions now among people here is, you know: Where else will be hit, given that it appears that central parts of the city could be possible targets and this is not limited to just the south or the east of Lebanon anymore? So, there’s a lot of fear and anxiety and confusion among residents all over Beirut, where over the past previous months where the fighting was mostly limited to southern Lebanon, you didn’t really feel that so much.
AMY GOODMAN: And we just have reports — I mean, and this has been going on for days — of Israeli tanks amassing along the border. What is the response of the Lebanese to what is taking place? I mean, Lebanon has one of the most, if not the highest percentage refugee population in the world. Now a million people are displaced. Many are trying to go into Syria right now.
KAREEM CHEHAYEB: Yes. So, you know, the Lebanese government has sounded the alarm on a massive displacement. Prior to this recent intense escalation, I guess, you know, there was over 100,000 displaced people. Now that number is almost a million, in such short period of time. The Lebanese government is struggling to keep up. Remember, this is a country that’s going through an economic crisis. The government is essentially broke. And the United Nations is trying to get as much funds as it can to support. And a lot of what’s helping these displaced people here is just the goodwill of a lot of people, community initiatives and so on. A lot of people I speak to in Beirut and elsewhere are doing their best, but they are questioning how sustainable it is, you know, within just a couple of weeks. And yes, it does seem like a larger number are going to Syria, as well. So, it’s indicative of the desperation taking place. And, of course, you know, a possible ground invasion is certainly the talk of the town right now, and people are wondering what the consequences will be, whether it means this war will last for a much longer time and it will widen, further widen the displacement.
So, you know, it is definitely a critical time. The Lebanese government is trying to sort of push a recent U.S.-led initiative for a temporary ceasefire for 21 days. The French foreign minister is in town, met with the prime minister and the speaker of Parliament. And, you know, it appears that the message that they’re sending is that they are willing to, you know, go about this ceasefire and try to put an end to this war as quickly as possible. The question is whether Hezbollah at the same time — you know, whether they will change their approach to this. You know, Hezbollah have maintained, even after Nasrallah’s assassination, that they will stop once there’s a ceasefire in Gaza. And they accuse the Israelis and the American government of basically wanting them to set up a deal independent of Gaza. So the question really is: How can this diplomatic gridlock be broken? And I think we could be at a major turning point right now, given the heightened developments.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you see Lebanese troops joining or replacing Hezbollah militants on the border?
KAREEM CHEHAYEB: There is certainly a lot of speculation that has come about the fate of Lebanon politically and with the war after Nasrallah’s assassination. There are allied groups to Hezbollah that have been involved in the south since the beginning — you know, for example, the Fajr Brigades of the Islamic Group, which is the branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Hamas early on, as well, here in Lebanon were involved, as well. And, you know, the question, of course, is: If there’s a ground invasion, will more groups allied that have some sort of weapons be involved? It appears that most experts say that it might actually be more about the allies of Hezbollah outside of Lebanon, whether the Houthis in Yemen or the Iran-backed militias in Iraq will be much more involved. So, that is sort of the big question right now, given a possible ground invasion.
AMY GOODMAN: Kareem Chehayeb, we want to thank you for being with us, speaking to us from Beirut, journalist covering Lebanon, Syria and Iraq for the Associated Press. We’ll link to your piece, “What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.”
