Israel entered Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, at a time when the country was engulfed in war. The Day of Atonement arrived Friday evening in the shadow of intense fighting on multiple fronts, marking the first time that Israel has found itself at war during this religious observance since 1973.
Yom Kippur celebrations this year came amid rocket attacks from Gaza, airstrikes in Lebanon and tensions with Iran. As the sun set and the Israelis began the festival, air raid sirens continued to sound in towns and cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that more than 120 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israeli territory even in the early hours of the holy day. At the same time, Israel continued to retaliate by attacking Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
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The IDF’s military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon have drawn heavy international scrutiny, particularly over incidents involving UN peacekeepers deployed in southern Lebanon. On Friday, Israeli troops fired on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) post, wounding two Sri Lankan peacekeepers. The incident occurred just a day after two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured in a similar attack. The Israeli military acknowledged the attack, defending its actions, saying that the troops had responded to an “immediate threat” near a UNIFIL position.
India “concerned”
India has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in West Asia, especially the clashes along the UN-recognized Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.
A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “We are concerned about the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
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The United Nations condemned the attack on peacekeepers as a violation of international law, and many world leaders called for accountability. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the shelling on UN targets as “intolerable” and US President Joe Biden called on Israel to end operations targeting UN forces. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, expressed their outrage and urged Israel to respect the sanctity of UN missions.
Hezbollah threat
Hezbollah warned Israeli citizens on Friday to stay away from military sites located in residential neighborhoods in the northern part of the country. The militant group accused the Israeli military of using civilian areas as shields for its military installations, especially in major cities such as Haifa, Tiberias and Acre.
Hezbollah has fired several rockets at Israel as part of a broader retaliation against Israel’s military operation in Gaza. These successive attacks have caused widespread destruction and loss of life and property in both Lebanon and Israel.
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The decades-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel escalated into a full-scale war on October 7, 2023, after Hamas attacked Israel. The surprise attack, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, was the deadliest in the country’s history and plunged the region into a war that shows no sign of ending.
ceasefire efforts
Diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire have so far failed. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose country has borne the brunt of Israeli air strikes, has called for an immediate halt to the fighting and urged the UN Security Council to issue a resolution to that effect. Mikati stressed that only the Lebanese Army and UN peacekeepers should be deployed along the border, a proposal to which Hezbollah has reportedly agreed in principle.
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The United States claims that it is working tirelessly for a ceasefire. Amos Hochstein, the US special envoy for the region, said Washington is “continuously” discussing an end to the fighting. Despite these diplomatic initiatives, fighting has continued, with Israeli airstrikes being carried out against Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon, and Hezbollah responding with rocket attacks.
