Indeed, in a major development, both the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah and its arch-rival Israel have declared major military operations against each other, thereby increasing the chances of a big war in the region.
In a statement released by Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, it said that it fired ‘more than 320’ Katyusha rockets at strategic installations of the Israel Defence Forces. In turn, the Israeli military invaded Lebanon, launching pre-emptive strikes on the Hezbollah-identified vulnerable targets, and the IDF stated that it had evidence of Hezbollah planning ‘large-scale’ attacks on Israeli land.
It is claimed by the IDF that IAF fighter jets have targetted and eradicated hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers in South Lebanon with reference to Northern and Central Israel most of the time. The military operation employing the name “Operation Defensive Shield” is being conducted in order to put out the imminent threat that Hezbollah’s stockpile poses.
The escalation arrived after tension has been rising over the past few weeks as Hezbollah and Iran, its regional partner, pledged to retaliate for the assassination of its military commander, Fuad Shukr, last month. The group has described the attack on its commander as a provocation and an act of war.
A statement from Hezbollah declared that they had commenced an air campaign with a large number of drones well into Israel as well as a large number of rockets against a number of shallow enemy positions and barrack and iron dome launched.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called an emergency security cabinet meeting, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has announced a state of emergency in Israel for the next 48 hours. This so-called ‘special situation on the home front’ gives the IDF’s Home Front Command more leeway in exerting control over the civilian population.
The United States has said that it supports Israel’s right to respond through National Security Council Spokesperson Sean Savett, noting that top US officials have been talking to their counterparts in Israel throughout.
The confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah continues all modern-day’ practice of nearly daily shelling from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon since the beginning of the Gaza war in October. This latest escalation has raised concerns of a big war in Lebanon and the likelihood of the expansion in the region.
