Israel Deceives Again, Lebanon Pays Price

There’s always an overwhelming, undeniable inevitability that whatever Israel says to defend itself – its utterances are always propagated with the foul stench of manipulation, manufactured victimhood, and a cynical disregard for truth, all engineered to mask the brutality of its actions to justify the unjustifiable.

So, when Israel launched yet another unprovoked airstrike on Beirut two days ago — the first since the November 2024 ceasefire — it reinforced a disturbing pattern: a nation continually claiming to be under threat while acting as the primary aggressor in the region. Israel’s justification?

It was the accusation of a rocket attack allegedly launched by Hezbollah and another deceitful Israeli narrative amongst the untold hundreds of thousands it has perpetrated. Israel’s accusation falls apart under scrutiny as all the others do when scrutinised, especially as Hezbollah categorically denied involvement — a claim echoed by Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, both calling for a proper investigation.

The truth? Well, that’s easily ascertained. Israel’s history of deception, particularly since October 7, 2023, suggests it’s far more likely this is yet another manufactured pretext to escalate war.

Israel for decades, has cloaked itself in a narrative of eternal victimhood — always constructed to justify aggressive military campaigns, land grabs, and ethnic cleansing. Yet history repeatedly exposes its propaganda and false flag operations.

Its current rhetoric about Hezbollah “violating the ceasefire” isn’t just baseless; it’s dangerous. Hezbollah has abided by the ceasefire conditions, and with no credible evidence linking them to the alleged rocket attack. In fact, the Lebanese Armed Forces identified the launch site as coming from an area north of the Litani River — outside the agreed military exclusion zone. If anything, the evidence undermines Israel’s claims.

Israel’s manufactured justification mirrors the lies it propagated following October 7, 2023. Described as one of the deadliest in Israel’s history, was used to launch a devastating assault on Gaza, leading to tens of thousands of civilian deaths. But many of Israel’s foundational claims that fuelled international sympathy and military support have been exposed as Israeli military misdirection.

Among the most grotesque lies: the claim that Hamas had “beheaded 40 babies.” Pushed by Israeli officials and uncritically parroted by global media, the story was later walked back by the very outlets and officials that amplified it. No evidence has ever emerged. Similarly, horrifying allegations of Hamas raping women and removing foetuses were reported with theatrical outrage, only for human rights observers and journalists to find no substantiating proof. Even the IDF later admitted it couldn’t verify the claims.

Perhaps the most insidious lie was the claim that Hamas killed 1,200 innocent partygoers at the Supernova music festival. While hundreds tragically died, Israeli officials have since acknowledged — albeit quietly — many were killed by the IDF’s own “Hannibal Directive.” Survivors and families of victims have demanded accountability, but their voices have been drowned out by the ever-screaming mantra: Israel is under attack.

It’s a narrative that enables Israel to act with impunity. It justifies the flattening of refugee camps, the targeting of hospitals, and the repeated use of white phosphorus — a war crime under international law. Time and again, Israel has blamed these atrocities on Hamas, despite mounting independent evidence, from the UN, Human Rights Watch, and even leaked IDF sources, pointing to Israeli responsibility.

The accusation Hamas bombed hospitals, for example, was thoroughly investigated. The Israeli claim regarding Al-Ahli Hospital was based on a misinterpreted audio clip and a rocket trajectory analysis that independent experts quickly disproved. It turned out the damage pattern and blast radius were consistent with an Israeli munition, not a misfired rocket.

Then there’s the often-repeated smear “Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields.” Yet the IDF’s own tactics — forcing civilians to remain in combat zones, targeting rescue workers, and striking schools designated as shelters — point to a deliberate policy of targeting civilians to create maximum terror. If any side is weaponising human life, it’s Israel.

Contrastingly, Hezbollah has demonstrated discipline in its military posture. While ideologically and militarily opposed to Israel’s occupation and aggression, its abided by ceasefire terms and has made clear — as recently as yesterday — it does not seek escalation. Its denial of involvement in the latest rocket fire is consistent with its long-standing approach: retaliatory, not pre-emptive.

Israel’s ongoing aggression in Lebanon — framed by Defence Minister Israel Katz as a campaign that “will bring no quiet to Beirut” — is a blatant threat not only to Lebanon’s sovereignty but to regional stability. This isn’t “defending itself,” it’s Israel actively sowing chaos to perpetuate a siege mentality at home, justify continued US aid, and suppress criticism of its atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank.

Western media must stop regurgitating the Israeli government’s talking points without scrutiny. The world must recognise what’s unfolding: a nuclear-armed state using lies and propaganda to rationalise mass death and regional war. It’s not Hezbollah destabilising Lebanon; it is Israel’s unrelenting aggression, its genocidal rhetoric, and its systematic campaign of misinformation.

The Beirut rocket attack? Is just another in the long list of Israeli fabrications — lies crafted to manipulate the world into swallowing its horror show. But with social media and global voices rising, that manipulation is finally unravelling.