At the beginning of this year, American intelligence services assessed a military escalation between the Shia militia Hezbollah and the Israeli army as ‘unlikely’.
Even in times of heightened tension, both sides have so far pursued the goal of “showing strength while preventing escalation.”
Since an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, where Hezbollah has a presence and a major political factor, on a shared maritime border at the end of 2022, a posture of “mutual deterrence” has emerged, the newspaper quoted a February intelligence document as saying.
This includes Israel firing rockets into uninhabited areas in Lebanon or shooting down Israeli drones by the pro-Iranian Hezbollah. While such actions are provocative, they are not aimed at provoking a larger conflict. However, there are factors that could jeopardize this situation, the report said. This includes Hezbollah’s ‘inability’ to control militant Palestinian groups such as Hamas, which is also active in Lebanon.
Overall, he still agrees with the US intelligence services’ assessment, even after the Hamas attack, said terrorism expert Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy. But it is already visible that Hezbollah, which is hostile to the Jewish state, is now trying to ‘change the rules of the game’. The militia will take advantage of the lack of attention from the Israeli army and there will always be minor incidents on the border between the two states.
Hezbollah is considered much more powerful than Hamas
The influence of the organization, mainly financed by Iran, extends deep into the crisis-crippled Lebanese state, with which Israel is officially at war. Last October, the two countries agreed to an agreement on a common maritime border in the Mediterranean Sea, ending a decades-long dispute over maritime space that had intensified after the discovery of large quantities of natural gas.
Trump: “Hezbollah is very smart”
Former US President Donald Trump sparked outrage with comments about Hezbollah. He called the group “very smart.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
