Lebanon witnessed an unprecedented escalation in security and military tensions in 2024 between Israel and Hezbollah, an extension of a conflict that began in October 2023. military events took a new turn in mid-September 2024 with the implementation of complex operations and military attacks on Lebanon, threatening to drag the region into a comprehensive regional confrontation.
On September 17 and 18, 2024, a series of bombings targeted thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies intended for use by Hezbollah, which exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria, killing 42 people and injuring at least 3,500.
It was clear that Israel was behind the explosions, although Israel denied its involvement. Hezbollah viewed it as a 'massacre' and described it as a possible declaration of war by Israel.
In a related context, at the beginning of 2024, Israel assassinated the prominent Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri on January 2, 2024, in the heart of the southern suburbs of Beirut. This assassination was followed by other assassinations of several senior Hezbollah leaders, the most prominent of whom was Fouad Shukr, who was assassinated in the following months.
The escalation of events reached its peak on September 23, 2024, when Israel launched a large-scale military operation targeting Hezbollah positions in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The military operation, which lasted for an entire day, included intensive airstrikes that killed 558 people, including civilians and children and wounded 1,835 others. The raids also displaced more than 90,000 Lebanese civilians, raising widespread international concern.
The Middle East crisis has entered a new phase after two weeks of unprecedented Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the brutal assassination of Hezbollah’s leader on 27 September.
In response, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israeli settlements in the north, escalating the military confrontation between the two sides. On September 30, 2024, Israel announced a ground invasion of southern Lebanon with the aim of destroying Hezbollah's military infrastructure.
The Security Council’s failure to take effective action on the Israeli war on Lebanon and Gaza in 2024 reflects the Council’s continuing inability to deal with major conflicts.
"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse," warned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, fearing that Lebanon could become another “Gaza”.
This failure is mainly due to the use of the veto power by permanent members, especially the United States, to protect the interests of its allies, which has led to the obstruction of any decisions aimed at stopping the violence or imposing sanctions on Israel.
This led to the continuation of the conflict and the spread of the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. This failure reflects the urgent need for fundamental reforms in the structure of the Security Council, particularly regarding the use of the veto right, to ensure its ability to deal with international crises more effectively.
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says the Security Council is an “outdated,” “unfair,” and “ineffective system” whose failure to put an end to Israel’s war on Gaza has damaged the credibility of the organization as a whole.