Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this weekend, with both sides exchanging their heaviest strikes in recent months.
Hezbollah confirmed on Sunday it had targeted Israel with more than 300 rockets and drones. The group claimed the attacks were in retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah leader last month.
Israel said it “thwarted” the wave of strikes.
While the cross-border strikes seem to have eased for now, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “This is not the end of the story.”
Hezbollah
Hezbollah is derived from the Arabic term ‘Hizb Allah’, which translates to ‘Party of God’. Australia lists it as a terrorist organisation.
The group was established after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Israel officially withdrew from Lebanon in 2000. Two major conflicts between Hezbollah and Israel have both ended in ceasefires.
Iran supports the group in the form of training, funding, and arms. Hezbollah’s manifesto calls for the destruction of Israel and the creation of an Iran-like Islamic state in Lebanon.
Israel-Hamas war
Shortly after Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel, Hezbollah declared: “Our souls are with [Hamas]. Our history and guns and our rockets are with you.”
There have been multiple cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah since then.
The United Nations (UN) estimates 200,000 people have been displaced in the region around the border between the two countries.
Beirut strike
Over the past three months, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has killed two senior Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon.
One of the strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut killed Fouad Shukr, a key figure in Hezbollah’s armed forces.
The IDF claimed Shukr was behind an attack that killed 12 people in the Golan Heights in July.
Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the Golan Heights strike.
Latest strikes
Early Sunday morning (local time), the IDF announced an “intense pre-emptive attack” on Hezbollah.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant declared a state of emergency, which has since been downgraded.
Israel’s main international airport was briefly shut.
Hezbollah then launched around 340 rockets and drones on several Israeli targets from southern Lebanon.
The targets included multiple military bases and barracks.
Sirens alerted thousands of people in Israel to take shelter during the early-morning raid.
Hezbollah said this latest wave of strikes is in retaliation to the assassination of Shukr.
IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military “thwarted” the strikes. He said six Hezbollah militants and one IDF soldier were killed during the strikes.
Escalation
The weekend’s strikes mark the biggest escalation in Hezbollah-Israel tensions since 7 October.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he is “deeply concerned” about the “significant increase in the exchanges of fire”.
Guterres called for “immediate de-escalation”, warning a broader conflict puts both Lebanese and Israeli populations at risk.
