With Gaza in ruins and Lebanon under siege, what defence remains for Israel’s actions?

Israel justifies the killing of civilians in Gaza and Lebanon with claims of 'existential threat', but it is Israel itself that is threatening the stability of the Middle East and the wider Arab world

A building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb on Monday. Picture: AP/Hassan Ammar

A common defence of Israel’s belligerence, both within the Palestinian territories and in the wider region, is the claim it must act in this way because it is surrounded by countries that are trying to annihilate it. 

Like many of the arguments that attempt to justify Israel’s disproportionate response to October 7, it is not only incorrect but also an inversion of reality.