It began with Hamas, then it shifted to Iran, and now it is Israel's conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon that have once again flared regional tensions in the Middle East and threatened an all-out war in the region once again. After decades of cross-border firings, tensions between the two countries have reached a new high after Israel launched a rare drone strike in Beirut that has allegedly killed a senior Hezbollah commander believed to be responsible for a rocket attack in the Golan Heights, killing 12 youths.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas' October 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Gaza war. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire nearly every day since then, but the fighting has escalated in recent weeks, raising fears of a full-blown war. Earlier this month, Israel killed a senior Hezbollah commander Mohammad Naameh Nasser, causing the group to retaliate by firing over 200 rockets.
On Saturday, at least 12 children were killed and scores of others injured in a rocket strike at a soccer field at Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, marking the deadliest strike on an Israeli target along the country's northern border since the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began. Israel blamed Hezbollah for the strike in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, but the latter denied any role. Israel carried out a retaliatory strike with a drone that launched three rockets, presumably killing Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr and three civilians.
What is Hezbollah?
Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based Shia Muslim militant group founded by Iran in 1982. One of the strongest threats to Israel, the origins of Hezbollah's establishment came in the wake of the 1982 war against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. Since then, Hezbollah has fought against Western troops and entered Lebanese politics as well.
The Iran-backed militant group also attacked US targets in its early days, strongly opposing any form of 'colonialism' by foreign troops in the country. After engaging in a month-long war with Israel in 2006, Hezbollah came out strongly as an armed force with tremendous military power.
However, Hezbollah has come under criticism from its domestic opponents for only focusing on increasing its military arsenal and dominating other political players in Lebanon. Its involvement in the Syrian war has also damaged its reputation. It has been designated as a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and many others.
Why is Hezbollah fighting against Israel?
Hezbollah and Israel are long-time enemies. A full-fledged war broke out between the two in 2006 after militants ambushed an Israeli patrol and took two soldiers hostage. Although Israeli bombardment and ground invasion wreaked havoc on southern Israel, the robust military failed to eradicate Hezbollah - denting its image of invincibility.
Since the war with Hamas broke out in October, Hezbollah forces have attacked military positions near the Lebanese border in northern Israel. It has so far fired rockets, and anti-tank missiles at Israel Defence Forces (IDF) vehicles and also used explosive drones. Israel has retaliated with similar attacks, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the group of "unimaginable" consequences should it formally enter the war against Hamas, another Iran-backed group.
Since October, Israeli strikes have killed around 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, according to security and medical sources and a Reuters tally of Hezbollah death notifications. Israel says 23 civilians and at least 17 soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks since October.
Given the long history of Hezbollah's fight against Israeli occupation, it opposes similar control by the Jewish state in other disputed areas, like Palestine. It has been blamed for bloody attacks against Israeli forces, such as an attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people and the bombing of a Jewish community centre in 1994, which claimed 85 lives. Additionally, Hezbollah has deep ties with Hamas, as the latter also has a presence in Lebanon. Both groups are allies and are designated as terrorist organisations.
A timeline of Israel-Hezbollah conflict
- 1948: Lebanese fighters fought alongside Arab countries against Israel, which was established as an independent state in 1948, to little effect. The two countries agreed to an armistice in 1949.
- 1968: Israel destroyed a dozen passenger planes at the Beirut airport in response to an attack on an Israeli airliner by a Lebanon-based Palestinian guerilla group. The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) was forced to relocate to Lebanon two years later following its expulsion from Jordan.
- 1973: Israeli special forces in disguise shot dead three Palestinian guerrilla leaders in Beirut in retaliation for the killing of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The incident marked an uptick between the guerilla groups and Israeli forces, with Lebanon bearing the brunt amid a civil war.
- 1978: Israel invaded southern Lebanon and set up a narrow occupation zone in an operation against Palestinian guerrillas after a militant attack near Tel Aviv.
- 1982: Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Lebanon in an offensive that followed tit-for-tat border fire. Thousands of Palestinian fighters are evacuated by sea after a bloody 10-week siege of the Lebanese capital involving heavy Israeli bombardment of West Beirut, resulting in the deaths of hundreds. The war led to the formation and rise of the Hezbollah group.
- 1985: Israel pulled back from central Lebanon in 1983 but retained forces in the south. During this period, Hezbollah waged a brutal guerrilla war against Israeli forces.
- 1996: While Hezbollah regularly attacked Israeli forces in the south and fired rockets in the north, Israel mounted a 17-day "Operation Grapes of Wrath" offensive, killing over 200 people in Lebanon, including 102 who were killed when Israel shelled a UN base near the south Lebanon village of Qana.
- 2006: Hezbollah crossed the border into Israel, kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and killed several others, sparking a five-week war involving heavy Israeli strikes on both Hezbollah strongholds and national infrastructure, including the Beirut airport. The war ended without Israel achieving its military objectives and Hezbollah declaring a "divine victory". Over 1,200 people were killed in the conflict.
- 2023-present: Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel on October 8, a day after its Iran-backed ally Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza war. Hezbollah said its attacks aim to support Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.
Can Hezbollah fight Israel?
Hezbollah is the most powerful of Iran's "Axis of Resistance" network of regional proxy groups. While Israel has the most powerful army in the Middle East, Hezbollah has thousands of fighters, many with experience in the Syrian civil war, and an arsenal of tens of thousands of missiles capable of hitting cities all over Israel.
Despite regularly attacking Israel since October, Hezbollah claims it has just used a small part of its expanded arsenal in the cross-border hostilities. It possesses around 150,000 missiles and rockets, according to the US Central Intelligence Agency, most of whom are supplied by Iran.
Hezbollah's fighters are trained to fight a conventional military, by using light weapons to fight Israeli forces on the ground and anti-tank missiles for armour. They also use a variety of tactics like suicide bombings, ambushes and more. Hezbollah fighters are believed to be better trained than those of Hamas.
(with inputs from agencies)
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