Lebanon has found itself at the centre of an escalation between Israel and Iran, after an Israeli strike on Sunday, June 7, targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, followed by an Iranian response against Israel overnight, Al-Akhbar and An-Nahar reported on Monday, June 8.
After Iranian fire toward Israel on Sunday evening, the Israeli army said on Monday it had struck military targets in western and central Iran.
In Lebanon, the strike on the southern suburbs reignited a debate in the press over the country’s place in the confrontation between Israel, Iran and the United States.
For local outlet Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah, Iran’s response to the Israeli strikes sent a direct message to the Shiite movement: “You are not alone”. The daily argues that Tehran refuses to separate the Lebanese front from its negotiations with Washington.
An-Nahar, a sovereigntist daily critical of the Shiite movement, instead highlights the end of the temporary “protection” that Beirut’s southern suburbs appeared to enjoy after U.S. pressure had led Israel to avoid striking the area a few days earlier.
Washington says it wants to avoid a new direct confrontation and preserve its negotiating channel with Tehran. Donald Trump called on Israel on Sunday not to retaliate for the Iranian fire, while Iran accuses the United States of allowing Israel to strike the southern suburbs.