Fears are growing that border clashes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah could escalate into all-out war, consuming the Middle East.
By Sarah Dadouch, Kyle Melnick and Niha Masih, The Washington PostFires and black smoke rise from between the houses of the northern Israeli border town of Metula which hit by Hezbollah shelling, is seen from the Lebanese side of the Lebanese town of Marjayoun, Lebanon, Saturday, June 22, 2024.
The Israel-Lebanon border has been a battlefield since Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants overran southern Israel, triggering the war in Gaza and inspiring attacks by Iranian-backed proxies from Iraq to Yemen. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under growing domestic pressure to drive militants from the border and allow displaced residents to return to their homes in Israel’s north; Hezbollah has said it will keep fighting in Lebanon’s south until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza, a prospect that appears to grow more distant by the day.
On June 12, Hezbollah announced that an Israeli strike had killed Taleb Sami Abdullah, the highest-ranking commander killed since Oct. 7. Senior Hezbollah official Hachem Saffieddine vowed Wednesday that the group would respond by intensifying its operations “in severity, strength, quantity and quality.”
His trip comes five days after Netanyahu accused Washington of delaying weapons shipments to Israel, comments White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called “perplexing.” Defending those remarks at a cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu said: “My job is to do everything to ensure that our heroic fighters receive the arms they need.”
For years, Israeli officials have publicly warned that the next war with Hezbollah would lead to widespread destruction in Lebanon and its capital, Beirut. Though such warnings have increased since Oct. 7, they have largely been dismissed by Lebanese officials and much of the public as political posturing for domestic consumption in Israel.
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