The Hezbollah conflict intensifies as Israel launches a ground offensive in Lebanon, targeting the militia’s strongholds. With Iran’s looming missile threat, tensions rise across the Middle East. Explore the latest developments.
Tensions spike as Israel strikes Hezbollah as Iran readies itself for probable missile strike
Israel today launched a ground invasion into southern Lebanon, attacking the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, amid a fresh escalation of tensions in the Middle East following last week’s reported killing of the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an Israeli airstrike.
The United States has issued its most stark warning yet that Iran is preparing to launch an imminent ballistic missile attack on Israel, and such an act could have catastrophic consequences for the entire region as tensions are escalating.
The conflict had started to flare up after the death of Nasrallah, the long-serving Secretary-General of Hezbollah.
The Israeli Defense Forces had long been concerned about Hezbollah, as it was very closely affiliated with Tehran and had a very long history of cross border attacks.
Related: Israeli Airstrikes Target Hezbollah Leadership, Killing Hassan Nasrallah
Based in Lebanon, Hezbollah receives financial, military, and logistical support from Iran, hence making it a very formidably effective non-state actor in regional geopolitics.
But in the aftermath of Nasrallah’s death, the volatile situation can now take gigantic proportions as Hezbollah Conflict escalates attacks against Israeli positions in the north while Israel tries to neutralize militia capabilities now.
Iran Missile Threat and U.S. Response
Meanwhile, the United States said Iran is preparing a direct military action against Israel. “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel,” said a senior White House official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity.
The official confirmed that Washington was actively supporting the country’s defensive preparations, both in terms of diplomatic and military responses.
The United States and many other western allies have proved to be good friends to Israel over the decades, especially when it comes to military peril.
In April this year, Washington played a very important role in countering an Iranian coordinated missile and drone attack on Israel.
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Such an attack by Tehran was retaliatory in nature against an Israeli airstrike that had attempted to hit the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, which has been a vital operational base for Iranian operations in the region.
The US government assured that if Iran conducts direct military action against Israel, it will surely face severe consequences.
“A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran,” the White House official added. This message was underlined by the Pentagon’s latest decision to move more U.S. troops and fighter jets to the Middle East, further cementing America’s military presence in the region.
Involvement of Hezbollah in the War
Certainly no one can argue on the importance of Hezbollah involvement in the war. This Shia political party Hezbollah was formed when the early 1980s responded to Israeli invasion into Lebanon.
It has since developed into a powerful political and military force in Lebanon. This organization has been engaged in long-term resistance against Israel, and at intervals; they have launched cross-border raids, also waged low-intensity warfare with the IDF.
In addition, Hezbollah’s commitment to Iran and its roles in the Syrian Civil War where it is said to be fighting on the side of the Iranian Backed forces with the purpose of aiding President Bashar alAssad further entrench the group within the larger regional conflict with Israel, Iran, and their respective supporters.
True, that even though the Nasrallah death indeed led the party to boost low-intensity attacks against Israeli troops standing along the Lebanon-Israel border.
It comes at a time when Israeli forces are still operating in a significant military operation within Gaza following the October 7 attack Hamas launched on Israel.
War in which there exist battlefields, both with Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, have dramatically amplified the notion of a war in the broader regional sense .
Regional Implications and International Reactions
It’s not confined to Israel’s immediate neighbors, either. Iran has been strident in calls for revenge following Nasrallah’s killing, threatening that Israel’s moves will one day be its own demise.
Even so, Tehran has been wary of committing its own troops to the fray, with its foreign ministry statement on Monday that Iran would not send soldiers to battle Israel directly.
However, because Iran exercises control over Hezbollah and Hamas, it has the ability to raise the stakes without getting its hands dirty through the use of proxy armies.
Hezbollah has built an astonishing rocket and missile arsenal that, coordinated properly, easily could overwhelm Israel’s missile defenses, including the Iron Dome.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to dismantle Hezbollah’s capability for provocations against Israel from Lebanon.
He issued a stark warning to Iran Monday, saying there was “nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach,” a veiled threat meaning airstrikes could target Iranian assets if Tehran decides to go ballistic in a missile attack.
The Impact of the Hezbollah Conflict on Israel’s Northern Border Security
The battle has drawn international attention as U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken reaffirmed their commitment: “We will continue to help Israel defend its freedom and its future.”.
Speaking with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Blinken said yet again that “The United States is committed to Israel’s defense.”
On the same day, the Biden administration requested a ceasefire even as the U.S. escalated its military presence in the region.
These diplomatic efforts are to ensure that the spillover of war does not spill over to some neighboring states like Jordan, Syria, or Iraq in which a number of Iranian Backed militias might become in the fray.
High Probability of Middle East War Permit
The intensifying tensions have afforded a very high possibility that a wider Middle East War between Israel, Iran, and other concerned parties attached to the region is inevitable.
The US and its allies, even though on record for the rights of the Israelis to defend themselves, are well aware that an Iranian missile will plunge a full-scale regional war into this.
Such a conflict will destabilize the entire Middle East, disrupt global oil supplies, and further complicate the already fragile balance of power.
Roundup
However, at this point in time, the diplomatic efforts are relieving some of the tension; nothing is stabilized yet. When Iran really goes for its bravado, the damage will be conducted catastrophically on its own gulf coast, not for Israel but for all of the Middle East.