By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

By some called in Israel now called "War of Revival" two weeks after Israel upended a US-led ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, the US is not actively trying to revive the deal and has resigned itself to trying to shape and limit Israeli operations in Lebanon and against Iran rather than halting hostilities, US officials told CNN.

The US’ inability to halt Israel’s intense bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon, which has killed over 1,400 people in less than three weeks and displaced over 1 million more, has raised questions about whether Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is disregarding the Biden administration’s calls for more restraint like it did in Gaza, leaving the White House again looking feckless.

Concerns within the Biden administration are running high, officials say, that what Israel has promised would be a limited operation will soon grow into a larger-scale and prolonged conflict. US-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have also floundered.

As with Gaza, US officials say Israel was initially planning for a much larger ground incursion into Lebanon before the US convinced it to scale back. But they also acknowledge what they have learned over the last year, which is that the US’ influence is limited when it comes to Israel’s military operations.

Two weeks after Israel upended a US-led ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, the US is not actively trying to revive the deal and has resigned itself to trying to shape and limit Israeli operations in Lebanon and against Iran rather than halting hostilities, US officials told CNN.

The US’ inability to halt Israel’s intense bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon, which has killed over 1,400 people in less than three weeks and displaced over 1 million more, has raised questions about whether Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is disregarding the Biden administration’s calls for more restraint like it did in Gaza, leaving the White House again looking feckless.

Concerns within the Biden administration are running high, officials say, that what Israel has promised would be a limited operation will soon grow into a larger-scale and prolonged conflict. US-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have also floundered.

As with Gaza, US officials say Israel was initially planning for a much larger ground incursion into Lebanon before the US convinced it to scale back. But they also acknowledge what they have learned over the last year, which is that the US influence is limited when it comes to Israel’s military operations.

Also, an explosion tore through the skies of Beirut on Monday evening (local time). Nightly strikes have targeted the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital city since September 27.

An explosion on Monday, October 7, lights up the sky over Beirut's southern suburbs.

An explosion tore through the skies of Beirut on Monday evening (local time). Nightly strikes have targeted the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital city since September 27.

A  camera captured the explosion, which flashed in the skies for less than a second but cast an orange light from the area that was targeted.

About half an hour before the explosion was captured by CNN, Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), warned residents that the IDF was going to target two areas in the southern suburbs, Burj Al-Barajneh and Hadath, which he said were located near Hezbollah facilities and interests.

 At least seven hospitals are in the no-go zones imposed by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, including Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital and St. Therese Hospital, CNN analysis of Israeli military evacuation orders found.

In a later statement, the IDF said the Israeli Air Force had conducted strikes on “terror targets belonging to Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters” on Monday night.

The IDF said it had also struck alleged Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area on Monday morning, including “weapons storage facilities, terror infrastructure sites, and a launcher.”

At least seven hospitals are in the no-go zones imposed by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, including Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital and St. Therese Hospital, CNN analysis of Israeli military evacuation orders found.

The unsafe zones in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a group of residential neighborhoods that also house Hezbollah’s seat of power, encompass nearly 9 square kilometers (3.4 square miles).

As the Israeli military battles Iran-backed militant groups on multiple fronts, the Middle East faces its greatest upheaval in a half-century.

Israel will “continue to fight,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Israel has said its goal in Gaza is to eliminate Hamas and bring back the remaining hostages, but neither has been achieved a year into the war.

Israel intercepted strikes from multiple directions on the anniversary, including five projectiles launched from northern Gaza, about five launched from Lebanon, and a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen.

Israel has launched a new offensive in northern Gaza, where it has failed to defeat Hamas, and it continues to mull an anticipated retaliation against Iran for last week’s barrage of missiles.

 

 

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