⚠️ Violent Israeli air strikes in Baalbek-Beqaa sector.

📷 Large fires ongoing in the hills that were attacked by the Israeli army, that targeted important location in Brital valley.

🇨🇳 ❌️ 🇮🇱 China is burning all its bridges with Israel

⬛️ Desire to be seen as champion of Global South drives policy tilt

🔶️ Ma Xinmin, a Foreign Ministry legal department official, set out Beijing's stance at an International Court of Justice hearing in February: "In pursuit of the right to self-determination, the Palestinian people's use of force to resist foreign oppression and to complete the establishment of an independent state is an inalienable right well founded in international law." Last month, Beijing even hosted a Hamas delegation.

🔶️ Through the fighting since October, Beijing has put all blame on Israel, while Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat have suddenly filled with antisemitism. Noting this, Aaron Keyak, the Biden administration's deputy envoy on antisemitism, observed in January, "Because we know the Chinese internet is not free, that's a conscious decision by the Chinese government to allow that kind of rhetoric to be greatly increased."

🔶️ Similarly, when Iran sent a unprecedented volley of missiles and drones toward Israel last month, Beijing referred to it as an "act of self-defense" in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus. Speaking to his Iranian counterpart after the attack on Israel, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, "Iran can handle the situation well."

🔶️ China's stance appears to reflect both a desire to position itself as a viable alternative to the U.S. and the heretofore American-led order and its economic interests as the world's largest oil importer. China's growing clout in the Middle East includes not only a strengthening strategic partnership with Iran, but close ties with Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states.

🔶️ Jerusalem has quietly signaled its disgruntlement with Beijing's approach. In late October, Israel signed on to a joint statement of concern with more than 50 other governments about alleged Chinese crimes against humanity in its predominantly Muslim Xinjiang region. Last month, an Israeli parliamentary delegation visited Taiwan and met with President Tsai Ing-wen who commented, "Bilateral interactions have recently been very close."

https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/China-is-burning-all-its-bridges-with-Israel

🔦🇵🇸🇮🇱 — Jewish army doing extensive raids in several West Bank cities including Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm, targeting money exchange shops and stealing the shekels.

They are being confronted by the local resistance.

@saheliananalyst

🇮🇱❌🇵🇸 Wide red alerts in the North!