Make no mistake: Zionist war on Lebanon is a U.S. war

The last two weeks have seen Zionist escalations against Lebanon, and really the entire Arab world, not seen in decades. This escalation began with the U.S.-Zionist mass murder of more than a thousand Lebanese people through explosive electronic devices on Sept. 17 and 18. 

Occupation forces followed the grizzly pager attack with widespread air strikes on southern Lebanon. In the six days following the initial pager attacks, the Zionist air force launched over 2,000 air strikes against targets across Lebanon. These targets included everything from Hezbollah rocket sites in the south to densely packed apartment complexes in the Beirut suburbs. The strikes resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, including many children and health care workers.

As if those events weren’t filled with enough terror, the regime assassinated Hezbollah Secretary General and liberation icon Hassan Nasrallah and announced a ground offensive into Lebanon proper. 

While there is no doubt that the racist, imperialist project known as “Israel” is the direct weapon used against the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, etc. – there is a hand that holds that weapon, and that hand is drenched in blood. 

Every single drop of Lebanese blood shed in this recent onslaught covers the hands of the United States. As Zionist aggression has continued, so has a noxious narrative in U.S. media – mainstream or otherwise. This narrative portrays the U.S. government and military as benevolent actors attempting to restrain Israel, described as a rogue actor.

On Sept. 24, as the Zionist air strikes on Lebanon escalated, CNN reported that “U.S. officials work feverishly to stop the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation from spiraling into a regional war.” The war criminal in chief himself, Joe Biden, repeated his tepid call for a “ceasefire” between “Israel” and Lebanon. 

On Sept. 30, in light of announced IDF incursions into Lebanon, Business Insider asserted that the raids were the “latest sign Netanyahu is ignoring Biden’s warnings.” Just a day later, SkyNews asked, “Biden was clear – so why is Israel defying its closest ally?” The article went on to chide Netanyahu for refusing to follow the U.S.’ lead in seeking a “ceasefire.” 

The assertion of this narrative is clear: The U.S. is, as always, the good guy, and Netanyahu is simply out of control. Simply, this narrative is a lie. 

You may not have seen that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the head of the Pentagon, a retired four-star general who was also a board member at military contractor giant Raytheon Technologies, publicly corrected Biden and said that the U.S. is not for a ceasefire. Austin said he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and that Gallant had agreed to launch what Austin called the “necessary” operation in Lebanon, including the ground invasion. The Pentagon sets the policy.

As the entirety of Lebanon took cover from U.S.-funded Zionist strikes, “Israel” secured another $8.7 billion in military aid from the U.S.. The U.S. government does not want legitimate deescalation in this conflict because the defense industrial complex that the U.S. politicians and bureaucrats represent want the opposite of de-escalation in the Middle East. An expanded Zionist war against Lebanon means expanded profits for Raytheon, General Dynamics, and Boeing. 

If the U.S. government really wanted peace, they would not provide “Israel” the means to so provocatively strike at the empire’s enemies in the region. It is ridiculous for the U.S. government to provide the Zionist regime with all the weapons of terror it could hope for. That’s not what anyone seeking a diplomatic solution would do. 

The Zionist project is only able to strike at the people of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, and Syria because the U.S. equips and empowers them to do so. No U.S. imperialist outpost – no war. It really is that simple. 

As this war escalates, the U.S. cannot be allowed to escape pressure and retribution for unleashing this genocidal onslaught against the entirety of the Middle East. 

Long live the resistance! 

Lev Koufax is an anti-Zionist Jewish activist.