WHAT many are referring to as the ‘third Lebanon war’ has begun, with Israel butchering nearly 500 Lebanese citizens on Monday alone — many of them civilians. As per the Lebanese health minister, the toll had crossed 550 fatalities on Tuesday, with over 1,800 people injured, in what the country’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati has termed a “war of extermination”. Monday’s provocation came in the form of massive bombardment of Lebanese towns and villages, principally in Hezbollah’s heartland in the south. While Israel claims the pro-Iran armed group — which has exchanged fire with the Zionist state soon after the Oct 7 events of last year — is the principal target, the callous mass murder of Lebanese civilians confirms that Tel Aviv cares little for the laws of war, or proportionality. This was abundantly evident when a wave of pager and walkie-talkie blasts hit Lebanon last week; this atrocity, widely believed to have been the handiwork of Israel, is being described as an act of terrorism, considering that civilian devices were rigged. Hezbollah has struck back, firing rockets at Israel, and all indications are that the hostilities will escalate. Unable to show anything after 11 months of butchery in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime has turned its guns northward after abject failure in the occupied Palestinian territory. Hamas — the reason for Israel launching its genocidal campaign in Gaza — remains undefeated, while Tel Aviv has been unable to retrieve the majority of its hostages. Moreover, tens of thousands of settlers in northern Israel have been displaced since Oct 7, which has created pressure on Mr Netanyahu to ‘do something’ about Hezbollah’s rockets. The Lebanese group has said it will silence its guns the day a Gaza ceasefire takes effect. Israel and the US have done their level best to ensure a workable truce never materialises. There has been a mass exodus from south Lebanon and the country, which is experiencing economic turmoil, will suffer further destabilisation due to Israeli aggression. However, if history is any judge, past Israeli adventures in Lebanon have not ended well for the Zionist state, and there is little proof things will be different this time around. Israel has lit a fire that can consume the entire region, as hopes for a Gaza ceasefire grow dimmer by the day. For now, the Middle East’s future looks decidedly grim.