Published March 8, 2024
When Israel’s war on Hamas ends, its conflict with Iran-backed militias may rage on.
Israeli officials are increasingly concerned with the constant artillery and rocket fire at the northern border with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants and have said they will fight to push the group back from bordering territory.
While the risk of all-out war is not imminent, the clash with Hezbollah is driving up the long-term stakes in the Middle East.
Israel wants to eventually return its residents to the north, and it can’t do that with Iran-backed militants posing a constant threat near the border. Hezbollah is unlikely to agree to any hard concessions, setting up an impasse for diplomatic solutions — and fertile ground for military provocations.
“We’re inching closer to a war. So far, the two parties have been careful not to do something that would unravel everything and lead to an all-out war,” said Asher Kaufman, a professor and Middle East expert at the University of Notre Dame.
“But at the same time, it’s very clear that both sides are engaged in cross border exchange that makes it riskier, more dangerous and more prone to an all-out war.”
READ FULL ARTICLE
SOURCE: www.thehill.com
RELATED: IDF strikes military buildings in Lebanon, intercepts Hezbollah drone
Published March 8, 2024
The IDF struck Hezbollah military buildings in the Zabkin area and intercepted an explosive drone belonging to Hezbollah fighter jets, the IDF stated on Friday.
On Friday afternoon, IDF fighter jets proceeded with an additional attack in southern Lebanon that resulted in further damage to Hezbollah military compounds in Mansouri and Bint Jbeil.
This comes following a previous IDF strike on Thursday, where the IDF intercepted an explosive drone belonging to Hezbollah.
Additionally, on Friday, an unmanned aircraft belonging to Hezbollah crossed over from Lebanese territory and fell in the Hermon area.