With the Israeli army announcing the start of “limited” ground incursions into southern Lebanon, and Iran launching a missile attack on Israel on Tuesday, the Middle East is in the midst of “the most dangerous crisis in the region in decades,” according to the newspaper “Financial Times“British.
The intensity of hostilities that erupted following Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7th has escalated sharply over the past two months, pushing Israel, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran into a “deeper war.”
The British newspaper saw that the main battlefields at the present time are the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Israel, adding that “the entire region is on the brink of abyss.”
Below are the “12” events that led to the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, as reported by the Financial Times:
July 28: Hostage negotiations reach a dead end
The United States, Qatar, and Egypt met with the head of Israeli intelligence (Mossad), David Barnea, in the Italian capital, Rome, optimistic that they are on the verge of achieving a breakthrough to conclude an agreement to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and the release of hostages held by the Hamas movement, which is classified as a terrorist organization in America and other countries.
Israel announces the killing of “the person responsible for transferring combat equipment” from Iran to Hezbollah
The Israeli army announced that it was able to eliminate one of the prominent leaders of the Hezbollah militia, who was responsible for transferring combat means from Iran and its agents to that Lebanese group.
The move is crucial to ending the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which says it will continue to attack Israel “in support of the Palestinians” in Gaza.
But Israel presented new demands, and the talks have since stopped, according to a report by the British newspaper.
July 30: Shukr was killed
Israel carried out a raid on the southern suburb of Beirut, which led to the killing of Hezbollah’s military commander, Fouad Shukr, who was close to the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
This was the first time that Israel targeted a prominent Hezbollah leader in the Lebanese capital, since the outbreak of the conflict between the two parties on October 8, which represented a major escalation.
July 31: Haniyeh was killed in Tehran
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an explosion at his residence in the Iranian capital, Tehran, in an attack that Iran blamed on Israel.
Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei threatened “severe revenge” in response to Haniyeh’s killing, which came as a blow to the talks on a ceasefire agreement in exchange for the release of hostages in Gaza, where the latter was the main negotiator for Hamas.
September 1: The bodies of 6 hostages were found
Israeli forces recovered the bodies of 6 hostages killed by Hamas in Gaza, sparking anger in Israel.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing government, urging their leaders to accept a ceasefire agreement with Hamas to free the remaining hostages.
Jordan emphasizes a “permanent and clear” position.. How did the Kingdom deal with Iran’s missiles against Israel?
Jordanian government spokesman, Muhammad al-Momani, announced that his country’s position is “clear and permanent” that it will not be an arena for conflict for any party, following Amman’s announcement of the interception of missiles in the Kingdom’s airspace in the midst of the Iranian attack that targeted Israel, on Tuesday.
September 17: Pager attacks
Thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, as the devices, which are widely used by Hezbollah members to avoid surveillance, have turned into deadly weapons.
12 people were killed and more than 2,000 wounded in the attack, which struck at the heart of Hezbollah’s communications network.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the attack for its impact on civilians.
September 18: Walkie-talkie explosions
Walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded the day after the pager bombings, killing at least 25 people and wounding more than 600.
Successive attacks on communications devices in Lebanon shocked and sparked panic throughout the country.
September 19: Israel intensifies its bombing
Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israel is at “the beginning of a new phase in the war” with Hezbollah, as it has shifted its focus from its struggle against Hamas in Gaza to the northern front.
He explained that the “center of gravity” is moving north, where “resources and forces are allocated (to that front).”
Facts about Israel’s missile defense capabilities
Israel used its missile defense systems on Tuesday to repel a group of ballistic missiles launched by Iran in response to the Israeli campaign against the Hezbollah group, an ally of Tehran in Lebanon.
September 20: The founder of “Al-Radwan” was killed.
An Israeli air strike on the southern suburb of Beirut resulted in the killing of a prominent Hezbollah leader, Ibrahim Aqeel, founder of the “Radwan Force” affiliated with the Lebanese group classified as a terrorist group in America and other countries, in addition to other members of the elite unit.
The Israeli army said that it had killed the “senior chain of command” of the Radwan Force, which is responsible for escalation actions against Israel and fighting in southern Lebanon, in the event of any possible ground invasion.
September 25: Tel Aviv was targeted for the first time
Hezbollah fired a missile at Tel Aviv, the commercial capital of Israel, for the first time in the history of the conflict between the two parties.
This was one of the deepest blows the armed group has dealt to Israel since the cross-border escalation began, the day after the Hamas attack on October 7.
Israeli air defenses intercepted the missile.
September 27: Nasrallah was killed
Israel launched a wave of strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, killing Hassan Nasrallah, who led the Hezbollah group for more than three decades and was one of Iran’s closest allies.
A senior member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was also killed, as Israeli bombs destroyed at least 6 residential buildings.
October 1: Israel announces a ground incursion
The Israeli military said it had begun entering southern Lebanon, ordering people to evacuate from about 30 towns and villages there.
He also announced the summoning of 4 other reserve brigades to carry out “operational missions” against Hezbollah.
October 1: Iranian missiles were launched at Israel
Iran fired about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, claiming they “targeted” military and intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv and the rest of the country.
Tehran said that the attack was “in response” to the killing of Nasrallah and a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guards in Beirut, as well as “in retaliation” for the killing of Haniyeh.
Israel declared that the attack “failed” and vowed to respond in the appropriate place and time.
