Within hours of the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran announced on April 7, Israel unleashed the deadliest day of death and destruction on Lebanon since March 2. This is when Israel began its genocidal assault while they also partnered with the U.S. in its criminal war on Iran.

The Israeli army said it carried out more than 100 airstrikes in just 10 minutes. Thick plumes of smoke rose from different areas, including both rich and poor neighborhoods of Beirut, Lebanon's capital. The massive bombardment left many of those in Beirut paralyzed by fear. 

This one day of bombing caused over 300 deaths, including more than 100 women, children, and elderly adults, and over 1,150 injured, according to health officials. Witnesses described scenes of devastation, with faces covered in soot and vehicles charred and piled up in the streets. 

Israel’s atrocities across Lebanon have continued throughout the week. On Saturday, April 11, another 18 people were killed, bringing the death toll to more than 2,020 people with at least 6,436 injured since March 2 according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Israel has also continued its criminal campaign of ethnic cleansing directed against the Shi’a population of south Lebanon (Shi’a Muslims make up one third of Lebanon’s population.) Overall, more than a million Lebanese have been displaced, including over 370,000 children!

Israel's Genocidal Aims

While the strategic interests of the U.S. and Israel principally converge, they do have differences. The U.S. utilizes and has utilized Israel to control the Middle East (and to also do its dirty work in other parts of the world). Yet, while the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran was based on some common objectives, the U.S. and Israel do not have identical views or interests in terms of how to achieve those objectives or even exactly what they are, at any given time. 

Whatever its exact intent, this bombing offensive had the effect of undercutting the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Israel views Iran and the armed Islamic fundamentalist movements in the region sympathetic to and supported by Iran as mortal threats to Israel's existence and dominance in the Middle East. Israel is implementing its strategic aim of trying to completely destroy the Iranian government and the movements aligned with it, including by smashing Hezbollah and taking over a large section of southern Lebanon where Hezbollah has a social base (Hezbollah is the Islamic fundamentalist military organization in Lebanon aligned with Iran).

The U.S. has basically given Israel a green light to continue its massacres in Lebanon, while telling the Israelis to halt their attacks on Iran—at least for now. This is why both the U.S. and Israel claimed that Israel’s war on Lebanon was not part of the U.S. ceasefire with Iran. But Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Iran had both made clear that Israel’s war on Lebanon was part of the agreement. 

On April 9, shortly after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was declared, Israel's fascist Prime Minister, Netanyahu, declared Israel would continue its military operations against Hezbollah—writing on X that the military is "continuing to strike Hezbollah with force, precision, and determination... I want to make this clear: We still have goals to complete, and we will achieve them either by agreement or by resuming the fighting. We are prepared to return to combat at any moment required. Our finger is on the trigger." 

Trump did encourage Netanyahu to “low-key” his slaughter in Lebanon, and shortly thereafter Netanyahu directed his government “to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible.”  But while Israel will meet with Lebanese officials in Washington, DC this week, Israel is still refusing to implement a cease-fire in Lebanon and is continuing their deadly attacks. 

As of Sunday, April 12, Israel was still bombing Lebanon, and in a most disgusting, monstrous display, Netanyahu went to southern Lebanon to 'see the territory that Israel had seized'—at a terrible cost in loss of human life.

Whatever differences the U.S. and Israel may have over how to achieve their interests in any given situation, overall they’re closely united in carrying out towering war crimes across the Middle East and beyond. 

Both of these monstrous, illegitimate and genocidal states must be opposed more strongly than ever.