Moussa Al Wazir | Staff Writer
Throughout the past few weeks, the violent escalation between the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation army has been rising by the day. Since March 1st only, the situation has been worsening quickly as the Israeli army has launched daily attacks on the Lebanese south and launched two air strikes on two cities in deep Lebanon, resulting in civilian casualties and the death of Hamas leader, Hadi Ali. From their side, Hezbollah fired back and has officially taken accountability for multiple missile and drone attacks targeting Israel’s northern border settlements and sending more than 100 missiles to inner Israel.
The escalation on the Lebanese border has sparked a lot of worries in the Israeli streets and the government as many fear that it might open another war front on Israel leading to the economic, social, and safety situation further deteriorating. The main pressure points on the Israeli government are the settlers of the northern settlements as they were forced to evacuate on October 16 when tensions started to arise. Politically, the extremist right-wing parliament member and national security minister Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on his government on Tuesday to declare war on Lebanon. “We have to start responding, attacking – war, now,”
From their side, Hezbollah has informed the Irani leadership that they do not want Iran to be drawn into a war with Israel or the United States and that Hezbollah will fight alone. Stating that “This is our battle,” and the militia is ready to fight Israel on its own
From the American side, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed US concern about the possibility of the Israeli war on Gaza expanding to Lebanon. He said in response to a question on Al-Hurra TV about the escalation in the type of military operations between Hezbollah and Israel, “We are still concerned about the danger of escalation, and the risk of expanding the scope of the conflict.” Additionally, he stated that the United States is continuously working hard towards a diplomatic solution between both sides.
Many experts suggest that the Israeli-Lebanese war begin once the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip stops “Israel made it clear that once they are done with Gaza, they will turn their attention to the north,” Hilal Khashan, a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut, said. Additionally, many suggest that the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netenayhu is deliberately keeping Israel at war in order to satisfy his own political interests “Netanyahu’s desire to [keep the country at war to] claim a victory is evidence of a deep internal rift and the increasing condemnation from the international community,” Imad Salamey, associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, told Al Jazeera.
Sources:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/israels-sworn-enemy-hezbollah-tells-iran-would-fight-alone-conflict-escalates.amp
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/1/as-israel-strikes-all-around-it-fear-rises-in-lebanons-sidon
https://www.alhurra.com/lebanon/2024/02/21/قلق-أميركي-خطر-التصعيد-بين-حزب-الله-وإسرائيل?amp
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/3/10/hezbollah-fires-rockets-into-israel-after-deadly-strikes
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/3/12/is-israel-hoping-to-escalate-hostilities-with-hezbollah-in-lebanon