Contributed from Victoria

The carnage Israel is inflicting on Lebanon is escalating. This is not a war. It is the reuse of the slaughter of a population to affect the goal of conquest of territory, through collective punishment to get an inconvenient population out of the way. This time it’s the Lebanese population, as well as long displaced Palestinians. They have been the direct target of thousands of attacks on mainly residential areas. Reports that it is other than this, exist to deny the real nature of the carnage and therefore justify it. The truth is that this is a crime against humanity.

Yesterday’s attack, which left at least 500 dead, many more injured, and the lives of 50 children extinguished in just one day, underlines the nature of what the Israeli regime is doing.

Israel issues evacuation warning as it ‘deepens’ attacks on Lebanon

Video from Al Jazeera English

Yes, there is Hezbollah. It has sent some missiles and shells into Israel. But this has been a response to Israel’s attacks. Although a few Israelis have died, Hezbollah’s attacks are demonstratively concentrated on military targets. This is why the toll is much lower than in Lebanon.

There is also the truth that Hezbollah, although it emerged as a Palestinian organisation defending its people and as the provider of basic services, has become the defender of Lebanon, because Lebanon has no effective army.

Hezbollah is branded by Israel and its protectors as a terrorist organisation to be dealt with. Convenient for an Israel regime with an eye on land grabbing part of Lebanon. Today, this fits into the wish of this state, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu to open a front in Lebanon to distract from what it has been doing in Gaza and now starting to do in the West Bank. This is a means to bring direct military intervention by the United States. Netanyahu and those closest to him intend to turn this into an American war.

To do so, the same basic method used is Gaza is now beginning to be applied to Lebanon. Bring on the slaughter of civilians and kill women and children. The Israeli regime would like to draw Iran into the conflict. This country has been victim to a series of new military provocations. Iran is accused of being the aggressor and using of Yemen and Hezbollah, which are characterised bas puppets, as surrogates to attack Israel for no god reason.

Israel’s MURDEROUS Rampage In Lebanon: Mass Slaughter Beckons

Video from Owen Jones

The facts that the Yemenis fought for years for independence and self-rule for years, and that Hezbollah is fiercely independent are carpet under the carpet. They may share the Shia Islamic faith. This does not mean being a puppet.

Whether one is sympathetic to Iran or not, it remains that it is a sovereign nation. If this is the case, it has the right to defend itself from foreign attack. Iran is big and militarily powerful, with one of the biggest and best equipped armies in the world. Israel is no match and would be defeated in an all-out war. It needs direct and large-scale United States intervention to turn this around.

Aftermath of Israeli airstrike In Beirut causes widespread destruction

Video from WION

If the Israeli regime succeeds, it will mean plunging the region into a much bigger regional war, and potentially s world war that will kill millions. The Israeli regime is showing that is prepared to risk this, presumably in the belief it can bluff its way to victory.

This is a sign of desperation. Israel is failing to break the people of Gaza. They resist the occupation. Israel’s greatest successes are to bring greater unity of the Palestinian factions, and seriously damage its international reputation.

The Israeli regime was humiliated by the recent firing of missiles that proved Iran’s capacity to reach Tel Aviv. The Israeli authorities were provided with the codes to shoot them down. The purpose was to prove that they could if they were forced into war, not to destroy and kill. Yemen and Hezbollah proved they could do the same.

Israel has become increasing divided internally, with a huge movement for a ceasefire in Gaza to free Israeli hostages. The capacity of the Netanyahu government to survive much longer is coming into increasing doubt.

Meanwhile, to many political leaders continue to directly support or appease this violence. They continue to hook into Hamas attacked Israeli on 7 October last year and Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation. Critics of Israel’s actions, even Jewish ones, are call anti-Semitic and silenced. Some continue to arm Israel.

This includes Australia, where there is a bipartisanship between the Albanese government and the Peter Dutton led opposition on this score, even though it costs them political credibility. They stand at odds with the Australian community on this. By the end of February this year, 81 percent wanted a ceasefire, and 51 percent wanted the Australian government to do more to bring this about, according to YouGov polling. Among 18–34-year-olds, 61 percent wanted more action, and this was consistent across both Labor and Coalition voters.

The bipartisanship continues to make Australia supply the Israeli military with capacity to continue its attacks. Support for this is also falling.

Building an effective peace movement has become a more critical need than ever.