The climb that no one wanted to name
The Israeli airstrikes in eastern Lebanon were not a “surgical strike.” They were a strong message. At least ten people were killed, eight of them members of the political-paramilitary group Hezbollah. The target was a residential building near Rayak whose top floor was shattered.
The Israeli army claims to have attacked command centers in the Baalbek area, saying it “eliminated” members of the group’s missile unit. But the names tell another story.
The victims identified by Hezbollah include three local commanders: Ali al-Moussawi, Mohammed al-Moussawi and Hussein Yaghi.
This last piece of information is key. Hussein Yaghi was the son of Mohammed Yaghi, a prominent founder of the movement who died in 2023 and a collaborator of the late leader Hassan Nasrallah. The children of the founders are not killed by chance. It is a blow to the symbolic heart of the group.
Hezbollah says those killed were involved in preparation and planning. But as always, detailed evidence is conspicuous by its absence. Each side tells its version as the dust settles on the rubble.
The tension that I was already breathing
The situation in the region was already at its limit. These bombings have brought it to a point where the political repercussions are a dangerous unknown.
Lebanese authorities have condemned the attacks and demand an international response. Meanwhile, the local population lives with a worry that has become a daily companion.
This is not an isolated incident. It is another chapter in a conflict that has been searching for a solution for decades that never comes. And each climb makes that exit seem further away.
