Five soldiers from the reconnaissance unit of the Golani Brigade have been killed in southern Lebanon, where Israel is conducting a ground invasion. Hezbollah has announced a new phase of escalation in its conflict with Israel.

According to an Israeli army spokesperson, five soldiers were killed during clashes in southern Lebanon. An officer and two soldiers were wounded in the same engagement, while other soldiers sustained serious injuries in separate skirmishes across the region.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah has declared a new stage in its war against Israel, announcing the use of precision-guided missiles in its attacks. In a written statement, Hezbollah said: “In accordance with the directives of the leadership, a new phase in the conflict with the enemy Israel will begin, which will increase tensions and have repercussions in the coming days.”

Hezbollah also claimed that hundreds of its fighters are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground assault on villages in southern Lebanon. The group noted that its attacks on Israel have intensified recently, including an increase in rocket fire, and confirmed for the first time that precision-guided missiles have been deployed.

The statement further claimed that 55 Israeli soldiers have been killed and more than 500 injured since Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon began. It also reported the destruction of 20 Merkava tanks, 4 military bulldozers, and an armored personnel carrier, as well as the downing of 2 Hermes 450 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The Lebanese Ministry of Health has reported that 2,412 people, including 104 children and 194 women, have been killed, and 11,267 injured, since October 8.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut on September 27.

An estimated 100,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment. As migration from southern Lebanon to Beirut and the northern regions continues, the Lebanese government has announced that more than 461,000 displaced people have fled to Syria.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was allegedly holding Israeli hostages as human shields, was allegedly killed in a clash with Israeli soldiers in a building in Gaza. It is noteworthy that there is not a single Israeli hostage in the building where Sinwar is said to have been killed. Israel debunked its own “human shield” thesis.

The Israeli army said it is investigating the possibility that one of the three men it killed in a clash in Gaza was Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The New York Times, citing US officials, reported that Israel has informed the US that Sinwar may have been killed.

“At this time, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed,” the Israeli army said in a statement. The army said there were no hostages in the area where the three were killed. Israeli officials and the Israeli media claimed that Sinwar was hiding among the hostages and using them as human shields.

Channel 12 reported that Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of “terrorists” on the ground floor of a building yesterday, and that when the soldiers entered the building, they realized that one of the three men killed looked very similar to Sinvar.

Israeli media reported that the final identification is expected to take several hours.

From Israeli prisons to leading Hamas

Yahya Sinwar was considered Hamas’ number two man after the head of the political bureau, Ismail Heniyye. However, he was the de facto leader of the organization, both because of his presence in Gaza and because he headed the team that planned October 7. After his assassination in Tehran, this de facto leadership turned into an official one. Sinwar became the head of Hamas’ political bureau.

Sinwar, whom Israel has declared an ‘enemy of the state’, is at the top of the Israeli army’s wanted list. In 2015, he was added to the US list of wanted international terrorists.

Sinwar spent 23 years in Israeli prisons, from his arrest in 1988 until the major prisoner swap deal in 2011. Israel released 1,027 prisoners in exchange for the release of Gilat Shalit, a Hamas soldier held hostage for five years. Sinwar was one of these prisoners.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

More than 42,400 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 99,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Recent reports reveal the killing of around 300 Afghan nationals in a border village of Seestan province of Iran. The incident occurred at the border village of Kalgan Sarwan of Seestan of Iran which is bordering also with Baluchistan province of Afghanistan. Further details are awaited but reports reveal that personnel of Iranian border security forces opened indiscriminate firing against these Afghan nationals while they were making an attempt to enter Iran. From onward Iran, almost these Afghan immigrants are struggling to land in Pakistan or any other part of the region not only for their livelihood but for their survival.

No one can exonerate the hardline Taliban who are governing war devastated Afghanistan of miseries, hardships and even killing/dying of Afghans not only by border personnel of Iran but throughout the world. Like Iran, Pakistan is also responsible for all happenings to Afghans. But most important, the main culprit is no other than the United State-which has engaged in experiment after experiment on the soil of Afghans for the last several decades. But unfortunately, not only common countries but even UN and EU like so called prestigious and effective global bodies are helpless before the US.

The US is behind the unstable situation in Afghanistan, but Washington wont stop here.

Whatever may be claims and justification on the part of the US but it and its powerful spy agencies had made a key role in surrendering Afghanistan for a term to Taliban. In fact, Taliban are not any new or strange force but it is the second generation of Afghan Mujahideen, manufactured and financed by the US, trained by Pakistan and religiously polished by Saudi Arabia. Now it is confirmed that the US agenda regarding South and Central Asia is yet to be accomplished and for this purpose, the Jihad against the former USSR is now converted into religious terrorism or Islamic extremism. The characters are not new in the second play being produced and carried out by US spy masters with collaboration of its paid and contributing partners or allies. 

All are considering Islamic Republic of Iran-a rival to the US in Islamic world. But on the issue of Afghanistan, Iraq and other regional countries both US and Iran are friends and have always assisted each other since the 70’s. Iran had not only backed the US led war (Jihad) against –ex USSR but had also backed the US in its aggressions against Iraq, Egypt’s Hussni Mobarak and Libya’s Col Gaddafi.  Whereas the position of Pakistan is very clear as its powerful effective military establishment is always proud of its what it called “relations and partnership” with the United States.

The US supported proxies instead of supporting the established government that caused the ordinary Afghans to face the circumstances.  

On the issue of Iran, both Pakistan and Iran had not only remained as forefront allies of the US led world but both on the other hand broke away all previous records of treating war affected Afghans like slaves, hostages and even criminals. Despite earning and receiving a lot from UNHCR and other global organs on the name of refugees, Iran had confined the Afghans to some camps and localities whereas Pakistan’s law enforcing agencies had camouflaged all sorts of its failures, inefficiencies and failure through Afghan refugees.

One was expecting a change after 9/11 when the US apparently suffered a lot at the hands of al-Qaeda and its affiliated militant groups including Tehrik Taliban Afghanistan. But the US despite extending much more help and contribution in restoration of a centralized authority and reconstruction process had douched its own installed democratic regimes of Afghanistan by re-establishing contacts with Pakistan based and Pakistan helped Taliban through Qatar instead of Saudi Kingdom some when in 2010 after 2009 second Presidential polls. Later the US had completely ignored the democratically elected government of Dr. Ashraf Ghani in the so-called Doha Accord 2020, ultimately helping Taliban militants in returning to power on August 15th 2021 last. Pakistan through its former ISI chief  Faiz Hameed had jubilated returning to power with a cup of tea at Serena Kabul.

It was hoped Pakistan and Iran would change their attitudes toward Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban, but in reality the relations are more fragile now.

One was expecting positive change in the attitude of both Pakistan and Iran after the empowering of Taliban but the situation is now different. Prior to this brutal incident, Iran and Pakistan have been forcibly deporting Afghans for the last two years. But the Afghans are reluctant to stay in the country.  Both the countries are leaving no stone unturned in further muscling its harsh acts and actions against the Afghans. Iran didn’t allow Afghans to cross over its territory either to land in Pakistan or any other country whereas Pakistan has fenced the whole of its border with Afghanistan. Ruling but cruel extremist Taliban have converted the whole of Afghanistan into a big prison where the people are treated like slaves and hostages. On the other UN, EU, OIC and US like forces are playing the role of silent spectator and enjoying miseries of war affected Afghans.