Despite the disruptions the conflict has caused, Applebaum is optimistic that “it [o conflito] It could be the beginning of change in the country,” Applebaum told Lusa in an interview.
Although a sovereign state, military power in Lebanon is concentrated in the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, and which rejects the existence of the so-called “Zionist entity” state of Israel. .
The journalist and historian said the conflict in the region has contributed to the continued weakening of Hezbollah, now giving the Lebanese an opportunity to “regain control of their country”.
Author of the new book “Autocracy, Inc. – The dictators who want to rule the world”, Anne Applebaum is an American historian and journalist, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize.
Applebaum is a staff writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow at the Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where he co-directs a project on 21st-century disinformation.
The escalation of fighting in the Middle East comes in light of nearly a year of fighting, when Hezbollah attacked Israeli territory a day after an October 7 attack by Palestinian Islamists Hamas.
Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have engaged in daily heavy firefights, leading tens of thousands of people on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border to flee their homes.
On October 7 last year, Israel declared war on the Gaza Strip, hours after an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory that killed 1,205 people, including hostages.
Since taking power in Gaza in 2007, Hamas has taken 251 hostages, 97 of whom are still in captivity, 33 of whom were declared dead by the Israeli military.
According to Applebaum, the loss of Iran’s influence in Lebanon and the country’s “return to development and away from terrorism will be a major shift in the Middle East.”
However, the American journalist warned against Israel’s destabilizing actions in Lebanon, which could threaten its stability.
“I hope the Israelis will not abuse their influence again and further disturb Lebanon and create another adverse reaction,” he added.
Hezbollah is part of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” an Iran-led coalition that includes the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed last month in an Israeli bomb attack on the organization’s headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
The death of the leader of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah followed the death of Ibrahim Akil, head of military operations and elite forces, in another attack in Beirut.
Iran’s government fired about 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday night in retaliation for the deaths, as well as that of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and an Iranian general.
The Israel Defense Forces said most of the missiles were intercepted with US support, and Washington pledged to cooperate with Tel Aviv in responding to Tehran.
The Iranian bombing was the country’s second direct attack on Israel, in response to a deadly airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus in April, which Tehran blamed on Israel.
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