Beirut Blitz: Israel Signals War Over Diplomacy

On Wednesday, just hours after the world heaved a sigh of relief that a major catastrophe was averted and a two-week pause in the war announced, Israel decided to up the ante in Lebanon.

It launched one of the deadliest strikes against Lebanon, aiming at apartment blocks in the heavily populated capital city of Beirut. 100 strikes were carried out in a matter of 10 minutes, killing nearly 250 people, and injuring hundreds of others. The figure of dead in Israeli action has now risen to 303, according to the latest count.

Defence minister Israel Katz himself admitted that it was the ``largest concentrated blow Hezbollah has suffered since Operation Beepers” in  2024. The reference is to the pager bombs that killed hundreds of Hezbollah cadres. A delighted prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu carried a diamond encrusted pager as a gift for President Donald Trump during his visit to Washington in 2026.

Analysts who have watched Israel over the years, are not surprised at Israel’s attempt to sabotage tomorrow’s  much anticipated meeting  between the US and Iran in Islamabad. Israel wants to scupper the deal because Netanyahu hoped not just to degrade Iran’s military but hit civil infrastructure including its educational and research institutions, its energy hubs and work towards the collapse of the country that would result in Iran imploding internally. Israel has already decapitated both Iran’s political and military leadership. Writer and commentator James Scahill describes Israel’s external relations as ``industrial scale assassination masquerading as foreign policy.’’

The IDF was getting ready to begin attacking Iran’s civilian infrastructure when the sudden announcement was made by Pakistan. Trump seconded it soon afterwards on Truth Social. The attack on Lebanon is an effort to play spoiler and stop the current Pakistani move to get the US and Iran to begin talks on Saturday.

“The continued Israeli strikes on Lebanon, coupled with Iran's insistence that any ceasefire arrangement must include Lebanon, risk jeopardising the ceasefire. Israel appears to view the situation as an opportune moment to further degrade Hezbollah's capabilities and dismantle its military infrastructure,’’ says Prasanta Pradhan of the West Asia Centre, at the  Delhi-based Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses.

"Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised negotiations with Lebanon, Israel's perception of Hezbollah as a significant threat to its national security remains pronounced. Consequently, it seeks to establish and maintain a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon,’’ Pradhan adds.

Iranian diplomats since the time of the nuclear deal that was hammered out in the last days of the Obama administration in 2015 noted that Israel did its best to scuttle it. It is now well-known how Benjamin Netanyahu together with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states campaigned vigorously against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that had in place inspections by the IAEA to monitor  Iran’s compliance.  When Trump  came to power, he walked out of the deal in 2017. He had always been critical of the nuclear pact but was also persuaded by  Israel and the Gulf rulers to do so. Netanyahu as well as other Israeli leaders have worked hard to make sure that the US and Iran remain permanent enemies since that helps Israel’s strategic vision for the region.

Netanyahu, knows well that the current window of opportunity he has will be over by the time Trump completes his term. No other American president will  go to such lengths to accommodate  Israel. Netanyahu had tried before but without success. For Israel, Iran is an existential threat, thanks to the ``Death to Israel,’’ threats so frequently made by Iran’s theocratic leaders and their followers.

Since the Hamas attacks on October 7,2023, Israel has given a go- by to the Geneva Convention. Gaza is levelled to the ground with more than 72,000 people, mostly civilians killed. Trump’s peace deal has given no respite to Palestinians whether in Gaza or the West Bank. Israel is today a military hegemon in the region, but the tactical gains have not paid strategic dividends. Netanyahu wants to make sure that Iran can never again be a threat to Israel. But according to some, Iran has emerged stronger since the war began and is in a much better strategic space.

Netanyahu’s persistence of a war-first approach is beginning to reshape global perceptions in ways that may harm Israel more than its adversaries. What was once a reservoir of almost automatic Western sympathy is showing signs of strain. Netanyahu has been indicted by the International Criminal Court as a war criminal and an arrest warrant issued against him. EU leaders who had watched the war on Iran and Israel’s Gaza attacks from the sidelines, are now condemning its  Lebanon action. "We demand the immediate cessation of attacks in Lebanon, which have already taken a heavy, heavy toll on civilians and civilian infrastructure. It is clear that all parties must fully comply with international humanitarian law," European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni told reporters in Brussels.

In the United States, Israel’s most steadfast ally, political and public consensus is no longer as solid as it once was. MAGA influencers Tucker Carlson, Meghan Kelly, are calling out Israel and lawmakers like Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruz who openly bat for Israel. Influencers are asking why America continues to provide for Netanyahu’s never-ending  wars. Those billions could be better utilised to provide benefits to American citizens

Ironically, this shift is also altering the narrative around Iran. While Tehran remains deeply distrusted, the optics of an embattled state facing sustained military pressure have begun to soften attitudes in parts of the international community. In this evolving landscape, any perceived attempt by Netanyahu to derail or harden the tone of US-Iran talks risks reinforcing the view of Israel not as a security-seeking state, but as a perpetual escalator.

At a moment when diplomacy, however fragile, is back on the table, Israel’s attempt to continue its never-ending wars risks antagonising the world and isolating Benjamin Netanyahu.