Beirut: As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues, a second front against Hezbollah has led to the displacement of some 800,000 people fleeing deadly Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, while a succession of rocket and drone attacks has rained down on Israel. Hezbollah, regarded as a terrorist organization by both Israel and the United States, is Iran's strongest remaining proxy on Israel's borders. It attacked Israel on March 2, after Israel began air strikes on Iran on February 28.
According to Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, the response by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has been massive-and the conflict with Hezbollah is an integral part of Israel's wider war against Iran itself. Sarit Zehavi, head of Alma, a think tank based in northern Israel, noted that the campaign against Iran was meant to deal with Israel's existence in the region, and Hezbollah is part of that. Israel and Hezbollah have a history of armed conflicts going back to the 1980s, with the last one ending in 2024. At that time, Israel claimed Hezbollah had an arsenal of 125,000-150,000 rockets, although estimates varied.
Zehavi pointed out that when the previous conflict ended, the IDF claimed to have degraded Hezbollah's rocket arsenal by 80 percent. Despite this setback, Hezbollah has made efforts in the past year to recover, either by smuggling or manufacturing weapons in Lebanon, including anti-tank missiles, rockets, and drones. Israeli authorities view the war with Hezbollah as a strategic opportunity to deliver a significant defeat to a decades-long adversary, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging Lebanon's government to disarm the group.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that approximately 630 people have been killed and 1,500 injured in Lebanon since the beginning of the latest fighting. Israel claims many of these casualties are terrorists. Israeli air strikes have caused significant explosions in Beirut and southern Lebanon, with the potential for larger-scale ground operations hinted by Netanyahu.
Yezid Sayigh, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center, stated that Israel's military campaign appears designed to eliminate Hezbollah as a political and social force, not just disarm it. This involves deliberate displacement and disproportionate firepower, leading to indiscriminate harm to civilians. Although Israeli demands for the Lebanese government to take action against Hezbollah are not new, Beirut's recent declaration of the group's military activities as illegal marks an unprecedented step.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized in a televised address the desire for diplomacy to end the conflict. However, neither Israel nor Hezbollah have shown any intention to cease fighting.
Hezbollah's strategy, likely in coordination with Iran, aims to inflict pain on Israel in hopes of reaching a settlement that maintains Tehran's regime. Israeli media have speculated about a larger ground operation in Lebanon, with the IDF having conducted over 800 attacks in the region. Challenges remain, as Hezbollah benefits from local knowledge of the terrain.
The outcome of the conflict may hinge on the broader war with Iran, which has historically supported Hezbollah. The US has focused on degrading Iran's capabilities, while Israel aims for regime change. The resolution of this larger conflict could significantly impact Hezbollah's future in Lebanon.