We will intensify the attacks and crush the Hezbollah. We will not stop.
Enquanto diplomatas norte-americanos e iranianos trabalhavam para costurar um cessar-fogo regional, o primeiro-ministro israelita Benjamin Netanyahu anunciou na segunda-feira que Israel não apenas continuaria, mas aceleraria os seus ataques contra o Hezbollah no Líbano. A declaração, feita num vídeo publicado no Telegram, foi seguida de imediato por uma nova vaga de bombardeamentos no sul do Líbano e no Vale do Bekaa, deixando pelo menos quinze mortos e forçando milhares de civis a abandonar as suas casas. Num momento em que o mundo aguardava sinais de desescalada, Israel escolheu o caminho oposto — sinalizando que a lógica da guerra prevalece, por ora, sobre a lógica da negociação.
- Netanyahu declarou abertamente que Israel não se sente vinculado pelas negociações de cessar-fogo entre os EUA e o Irão, ordenando ao exército que acelere as operações militares contra o Hezbollah.
- Ataques aéreos israelitas atingiram o sul do Líbano e o Vale do Bekaa em poucas horas, matando pelo menos quinze pessoas e ferindo dezenas, incluindo vítimas num cemitério em Kafar Reman.
- O porta-voz militar israelita emitiu ordens de evacuação para dez localidades do sul do Líbano, desencadeando um êxodo em massa dos subúrbios de Beirute e das zonas rurais do sul.
- Israel justifica a escalada como resposta a violações do cessar-fogo por parte do Hezbollah, afirmando ter eliminado seiscentos combatentes do grupo nas últimas semanas.
- A intensificação do conflito coloca em risco os esforços diplomáticos internacionais e aprofunda a crise humanitária no Líbano, sem que se vislumbre uma resolução próxima.
Na segunda-feira, Benjamin Netanyahu publicou um vídeo no Telegram que contrariava frontalmente o espírito das negociações diplomáticas em curso: Israel não abrandaria o ritmo — pelo contrário, intensificaria os ataques contra o Hezbollah no Líbano. "Não vamos parar", afirmou o primeiro-ministro, acrescentando que tinha ordenado pessoalmente a aceleração das operações militares. A declaração surgiu num momento em que os Estados Unidos e o Irão trabalhavam para finalizar os termos de um cessar-fogo regional, mas Netanyahu deixou claro que Israel não se sentiria constrangido por essas conversações.
As palavras do primeiro-ministro foram rapidamente seguidas de ação. O exército israelita lançou uma nova vaga de bombardeamentos sobre o sul do Líbano e o Vale do Bekaa, visando o que descreveu como infraestruturas do Hezbollah. No terreno, as consequências foram imediatas: pelo menos quinze pessoas morreram nos ataques do dia, incluindo três numa habitação em Al Dueir e quatro num cemitério em Kafar Reman. O porta-voz militar em língua árabe, Avichai Adrai, emitiu ordens de evacuação para dez localidades do sul, desencadeando um êxodo em massa também nos subúrbios do sul de Beirute.
Israel enquadrou a escalada como uma resposta às alegadas violações do cessar-fogo por parte do Hezbollah, e Netanyahu afirmou que a campanha já havia eliminado seiscentos combatentes do grupo nas últimas semanas. Adrai avisou os civis libaneses que qualquer pessoa próxima de elementos ou equipamento do Hezbollah estaria a colocar a sua vida em risco. Com os mediadores internacionais a tentar negociar uma saída diplomática e Israel a aprofundar a sua ofensiva militar, a perspetiva de resolução do conflito parece cada vez mais distante — e o custo humano, cada vez mais elevado.
Benjamin Netanyahu stood before a camera on Monday and delivered a message that cut against the grain of ongoing diplomatic efforts: Israel would not be slowing down. In a video posted to his Telegram channel, the prime minister declared that his country was at war with Hezbollah and that military operations would not merely continue but accelerate. "We will intensify the attacks, we will increase their power, and we will crush the Hezbollah," he said. "And we will not stop."
The timing was pointed. Even as the United States and Iran worked to finalize terms for a ceasefire agreement meant to bring an end to hostilities across the Middle East, Netanyahu made clear that Israel would not be bound by those negotiations. "We are not slowing down," he stated flatly. "On the contrary, I have ordered acceleration."
The prime minister's words were not rhetorical flourish. Within hours, the Israeli military announced a fresh wave of strikes across Lebanon, targeting what it described as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley and surrounding regions. Netanyahu had specifically ordered the air force to intensify its bombardment campaign, and the military moved swiftly to comply. The strikes came as part of what Israel says has been a weeks-long campaign that has already killed six hundred Hezbollah members, according to Netanyahu's accounting.
On the ground in Lebanon, the consequences were immediate and visible. Local media reported at least fifteen people dead from the day's airstrikes. The Lebanese National News Agency documented a mass exodus from the southern suburbs of Beirut, as residents fled ahead of anticipated bombardments. The military's Arabic-language spokesman, Avichai Adrai, issued evacuation orders for ten towns in southern Lebanon: Kfar Raman, Nabatiye al-Tahta, Al-Luiza, Sajd, Ain Qana, Haruf, Zibdin, Al-Dauir, Adshit al-Shaqif, and Majdun. The orders came in anticipation of further strikes against what Israel characterized as Hezbollah positions and personnel.
The specific strikes painted a picture of widespread bombardment. Israeli forces hit two cars and a motorcycle near the city of Jarmaq on roads connecting to Kfar Raman and Jardali. An airstrike on a building in Al Dueir killed three people and wounded several others. Later that afternoon, four more people died and three were wounded when Israeli jets struck the cemetery in Kafar Reman. Beyond the south, Israeli forces bombed the town of Kafar in the Bint Yebeil district, destroyed a commercial building on the Habush-Nabatiye road, and carried out intensive bombardments across Frun, Hadatha, Tulén, Safad al-Batij, Al-Yamiya, Aita al-Jabal, and Haris.
Adrai's statement framed the escalation as a response to what Israel viewed as Hezbollah violations of an existing ceasefire agreement. "Considering the violations of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist group Hezbollah, the army is obliged to act with firmness against it," he said. He added a warning directed at Lebanese civilians: "Anyone near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and combat equipment is putting their life at risk."
The declaration and the strikes that followed represented a significant hardening of Israel's position at a moment when international mediators were attempting to negotiate a broader settlement. Netanyahu's insistence that Israel would not be constrained by those talks, combined with the scale and speed of the military response, suggested that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah would likely deepen rather than resolve in the near term. The question of how many more Lebanese civilians would be caught in the crossfire remained unanswered.
Citações Notáveis
We will intensify the attacks, we will increase their power, and we will crush the Hezbollah. And we will not stop.— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister
Anyone near Hezbollah elements, their facilities, and combat equipment is putting their life at risk.— Avichai Adrai, Israeli military spokesman
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would Netanyahu announce this so publicly, especially while ceasefire talks are happening?
Because he's signaling that Israel won't be bound by whatever agreement the US and Iran reach. He's telling his military, his public, and the international community that this war is on Israel's timeline, not anyone else's.
But doesn't that risk isolating Israel diplomatically?
Perhaps. But Netanyahu seems to be betting that demonstrating military dominance and resolve matters more right now than maintaining diplomatic flexibility. He's saying: we will negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness.
What about the civilians being evacuated? How many people are we talking about?
The source doesn't give a total number, but we know at least fifteen were killed in a single day, and thousands fled the Beirut suburbs and ten southern towns. The evacuations suggest the scale of the bombardment is substantial enough that people don't feel safe staying.
The claim about six hundred Hezbollah members killed—how reliable is that?
It's Netanyahu's claim, not independently verified. Israel has an interest in demonstrating military success. The actual number could be higher or lower. What matters is that Israel is asserting it has already inflicted significant casualties.
What does the ceasefire agreement violation mean? Is there already a ceasefire in place?
The source suggests there was some kind of agreement, and Israel is saying Hezbollah broke it. But the details aren't clear from what we have. What's clear is that Netanyahu is using those alleged violations as justification for escalation.
So this is likely to get worse before it gets better?
Everything in Netanyahu's statement and the military's actions suggests yes. He said "we will not stop." That's not the language of someone looking for an off-ramp.