In the space of a few days, the war in the Middle East has suddenly intensified. The Israeli operation to destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon, which began with the explosion of beepers and the elimination of its leader, evolved into a ground operation accompanied by heavy bombardment. Israel is also keeping up the pressure on a Gaza Strip in ruins, where Hamas is still holding hostages. Iran, Israel’s most powerful adversary and the main supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, demonstrated its involvement and strength on 1 October with a ‘shower of missiles’ in retaliation, which was largely thwarted by Israeli defences. The first victims of this escalation are unquestionably the civilian populations: hundreds of thousands of displaced persons on every sides of the borders and numerous collateral victims of the bombardments. While the international community is once again calling for an urgent de-escalation, the prospect of a ceasefire has never seemed so remote.
Find all the archives of our weekly editorials here!
