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AIJAC criticises government position on Lebanon
Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 8:39 am
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council has criticised the federal government’s call for de-escalation in Lebanon, arguing the position risks misrepresenting the origins of the conflict and drawing false equivalence between Israel and Hezbollah.
IDF troops of the 769th ‘Hiram’ Brigade operate in southern Lebanon on March 29, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit)
The comments follow recent statements by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong urging restraint across the Middle East, including Lebanon, as tensions continue between Israel and Iran-backed groups.
AIJAC executive director Colin Rubenstein said while the desire to see an end to the fighting was understandable, the government’s framing was “unhelpful”.
“While everyone wants the current conflicts in the Middle East to come to a close as quickly as possible, Senator Wong’s comments calling for de-escalation across the region, including Lebanon, are unhelpful,” he said.
“She is, in effect, supporting the position of the Iranian regime in opposition to both Washington and Jerusalem, which have indicated no ceasefire arrangement is in place for Lebanon.”
Dr Colin Rubenstein
Rubenstein said the government’s language risked obscuring how the conflict on Israel’s northern border began.
“Some of her wording has not only obscured the fact that the current conflict in Lebanon followed Hezbollah launching missile barrages into northern Israel, but effectively treated Israel and Hezbollah as equivalents, even though the latter is a listed terrorist organisation in Australia, and the former is a long-standing friend,” he said.
Australia formally lists Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation, in line with the United States and several other Western countries.
Cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have persisted since October 2023, when the Iran-backed group began firing rockets and missiles into northern Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks in southern Israel. Israel has responded with sustained airstrikes against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, raising concerns among international observers about the risk of a broader regional conflict.
Diplomatic efforts led by the United States and France have focused on preventing further escalation, including attempts to reinforce the terms of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River and for the Lebanese state to assert control in the south.
The Albanese government has consistently called for de-escalation across multiple fronts, including Gaza and Lebanon, while maintaining that Israel has a right to defend itself and stressing the need to protect civilian lives.
Rubenstein said clearer recognition of the role of Iran and its proxies was needed to achieve stability.
“War is terrible and it is natural to want the suffering it causes to come to an end, including in Lebanon,” he said.
“But the comments coming out of this Government fail to reflect who and what is responsible for the current conflict. They risk being unhelpful to achieving the more stable future for the region which all people of goodwill want.”
He added that any lasting resolution would require addressing “the threat created by violent, terrorist actors like Hezbollah and its masters in the Iranian regime”.
AIJAC is a leading Australian public affairs organisation that advocates for Israel and promotes informed debate on Middle East policy, antisemitism and Jewish community issues.
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IDF soldier KIA in Southern Lebanon, bringing total war toll to 937
Thursday, April 9, 2026 at 5:40 pm
Slain Israel Defence Forces Staff-Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, 20, from the northern city of Beit She’an. Credit: IDF.
Israel Defense Forces Staff-Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, 20, from the northern city of Beit She’an, was killed fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Wednesday night.
Lifshiz served in the 13th Battalion of the IDF’s Golani Brigade, the statement said. Five other soldiers sustained injuries of varying degrees and were evacuated to a hospital in Israel, it added.
The total death toll among Israeli troops since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre now stands at 937. Twelve IDF soldiers have been killed since the expansion of ground operations in Southern Lebanon in early March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the announcement that “our hearts are with the family of the heroic Golani soldier, Staff-Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, of blessed memory, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon.”
“We pray for the swift and full recovery of our soldiers who were wounded in the same incident, after fighting bravely against Hezbollah terrorists,” he stated. “We will continue to act with full force to remove the threat to the residents of the north. May the memory of Touvel, of blessed memory, be a blessing and be preserved forever.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in an X post extended his “heartfelt condolences” on behalf of the Jewish state’s defense establishment.
“I wish to send a speedy recovery to all the wounded heroes and to strengthen the commanders and soldiers of the IDF who are currently fighting bravely in Southern Lebanon and across the other fronts,” he tweeted. “May his memory be blessed.”
Hezbollah began firing rockets and suicide drones at Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the Jewish state’s targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed in the opening strikes of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury” against the regime on Feb. 28.
In response to the terrorist organization’s violation of the U.S.-brokered Nov. 27, 2024, truce agreement, Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah and ordered IDF troops to advance and take control of additional areas in Southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks.
Netanyahu stressed in an address on Wednesday night that Lebanon is not part of the truce with Iran that the United States and Tehran agreed to on Tuesday.
“I insisted that the temporary ceasefire with Iran not include Hezbollah. And we continue to strike them forcefully,” the premier said in a prime time address following the conclusion of the Passover holiday in Israel.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force launched its largest coordinated strikes against Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” on Feb. 28.
The large-scale wave of attacks targeted Hezbollah headquarters, military infrastructure and command-and-control centers in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and Southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli army.
Netanyahu said Hezbollah on Wednesday suffered “the greatest blow since the pagers,” in reference to the Sept. 17-18, 2024, attacks in Lebanon, which wounded thousands of terrorist operatives. “We attacked 100 targets in 10 minutes, in places Hezbollah was certain were immune,” he said.
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