New Delhi:

Israel entered Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, while the country was embroiled in war. The Day of Atonement arrived on Friday evening in the shadow of heavy fighting on multiple fronts, marking the first time since 1973 that Israel entered war during the religious celebration.

This year’s celebration of Yom Kippur took place amid rocket fire from Gaza, airstrikes in Lebanon and tensions with Iran. As the sun set and Israelis marked the beginning of the festival, air raid sirens continued to blare through towns and cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that more than 120 rockets had been fired into Israeli territory from Gaza, even in the early hours of the holy day. At the same time, Israel continued to retaliate with attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.

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The IDF military operations in both Gaza and Lebanon have attracted heavy international attention, especially following incidents involving United Nations peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon. On Friday, Israeli forces fired on a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) post, wounding two Sri Lankan peacekeepers. This incident occurred just one day after two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured in a similar attack. The Israeli military acknowledged the hit but defended its actions, stating that soldiers had responded to “an imminent threat” near the UNIFIL position.

India “worried”

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.

“We are concerned about the deteriorating security situation along the Blue Line. We continue to monitor the situation closely,” said a statement from the MEA.

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The United Nations condemned the attack on peacekeepers as a violation of international law, and there were soon calls for accountability from several world leaders. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the shelling of U.N. positions “intolerable,” and U.S. President Joe Biden called on Israel to halt operations against U.N. troops. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, expressed outrage and urged Israel to respect the sanctity of UN missions.

The Hezbollah threat

Hezbollah warned Israeli citizens on Friday to stay away from military sites in residential areas in the north of the country. The militant group accused the Israeli army of using civilian areas as shields for their military installations, especially in major cities such as Haifa, Tiberias and Acre.

Hezbollah has fired numerous rockets into Israel as part of a broader retaliation against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. These continued attacks have caused widespread destruction and loss of life in both Lebanon and Israel.

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The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which has been simmering for decades, exploded into full-scale fighting following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The surprise attack, which killed more than 1,200 Israelis, was the deadliest in the history of Israel. country and plunged the region into a war that shows no signs of ending.

Attempts at a ceasefire

Diplomatic attempts to broker a ceasefire have so far been unsuccessful. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose country has borne the brunt of Israeli airstrikes, has called for an immediate end to the fighting and urged the United Nations Security Council to issue a resolution to that effect. Mikati stressed that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be stationed along the border, a proposal Hezbollah has reportedly agreed to in principle.

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The United States claims to have worked tirelessly for a ceasefire. Amos Hochstein, the US special envoy to the region, stated that Washington is in “non-stop” talks to end the fighting. Despite these diplomatic overtures, fighting has continued, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in southern and eastern Lebanon, and Hezbollah responding with rocket attacks.