The talk shows continued their coverage of the ongoing Israeli attack on Lebanon yesterday. On his program Ala Mas’ouleety, Ahmed Moussa provided an overview of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon, drawing a comparison between the assault and Israel’s nearly yearlong attack on Gaza. In just one day, between 300 and 400 airstrikes were carried out, Moussa said, resulting in hundreds of casualties and an exodus from Lebanon’s south as citizens moved northward away from the bombardment (watch, runtime: 4:13).

Can Lebanon withstand a full-scale military conflict with Israel? Speaking on Ala Mas’ouleety, former head of Al Ahram’s Lebanon office Maher Maklad told Ahmed Moussa that Hezbollah would not respond right now, especially given that Israel would retaliate with full force and given Lebanon’s weak economy and healthcare system. He added that at present, there is no ground war between the two sides, with Israel overwhelmingly using air power — which Lebanon does not have the necessary capabilities to counter. If the war expands as Israel seems to be striving to bring about, Maklad noted, Hezbollah will respond with all its force (watch, runtime: 2:40).

Regional security analyst Mahmoud Mohieldin provided a different viewpoint, telling Moussa that Hezbollah would respond to the attacks, particularly since Iran — by way of comments from chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami — had called on Hezbollah to retaliate militarily. He noted that Iran has not yet responded to the assassination of former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, despite considering these acts war crimes (watch, runtime: 7:45).

Ala Mas’ouleety also noted the details of the joint statement issued yesterday by the Egyptian and Lebanese foreign ministers regarding the ongoing Israeli escalation, in which both ministers condemned Israel’s aggression in Lebanese territory (watch, runtime: 2:39). The Foreign Ministry also released a separate statement (pdf) condemning the escalation yesterday.

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