Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah launched on Sunday their heaviest exchange of fire After months of attacks and counterattacks, fears grew of a full-scale war that could potentially involve the United States, Iran and militant groups across the region.
By mid-morning, the exchange of fire seemed to have stopped. Both sides said they had only attacked military targets. The Lebanese authorities said three people had been killed in the Israeli attacks. There were no reports of casualties on the Israeli side. The situation remained tense.
Here is a look at the current status:
What happened early Sunday?
Israel said around 100 warplanes launched airstrikes on thousands of rocket launchers in southern Lebanon to thwart an impending Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah then said it fired hundreds of rockets and drones at military bases and missile defense sites in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
Hezbollah described the attack as a first response to the targeted killing of one of its founding members and top commanders, Fouad Shukurin an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. The first phase of the attack, which would allow Israel to advance deeper into Israel, had been completed. It also said Sunday’s military operations had ended. Israel’s claims that it had foiled the attack were rejected.
At least three people were killed in the attacks on Lebanon, including a fighter from the Hezbollah-allied Amal group, and two others were wounded. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said an initial assessment showed “very little damage” in Israel.
Is this the beginning of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah?
The exchange of fire does not appear to have triggered the long-feared war, but tensions remain high.
Shortly after the outbreak of the the war in Gazasparked by Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7. Hezbollah and Hamas are allies, both backed by Iran, and Hezbollah has portrayed the attacks as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel has responded with airstrikes, and the almost daily exchanges have intensified in recent months.
Since October 8, Israeli attacks have killed more than 500 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters from Hezbollah and other armed groups, but also more than 100 civilians and non-combatants. In northern Israel, attacks from Lebanon have killed 23 soldiers and 26 civilians. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the tense border.
Israel has promised to bring calm to the border so its citizens can return to their homes. It says it prefers to resolve the issue diplomatically through the US and other mediators, but will use force if necessary. Hezbollah officials have said the group does not seek a major war but is prepared for it.
Both sides have so far been careful to avoid actions that could trigger a full-scale war, and Sunday’s exchanges could cause them to deviate from their plan.
What would a war between Israel and Hezbollah look like?
Israel and Hezbollah fought a months-long war that ended in a stalemate in 2006, leaving large parts of southern Beirut and southern Lebanon in ruins and displacing hundreds of thousands of people on both sides.
Everyone is expecting the next war be much worse.
Hezbollah has an estimated 150,000 rockets and is capable of hitting all parts of Israel. It has also developed an increasingly sophisticated drone fleet and is experimenting with precision missiles. A full-scale war could force hundreds of thousands of Israelis to flee, cripple the Israeli economy and force the army, which is still deployed in Gaza, to fight on two fronts.
Israel has vowed a devastating response to any major Hezbollah attack, which would likely destroy Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure and The economy has been in crisis for years. Beirut’s southern suburbs, as well as towns and villages throughout southern Lebanon where Hezbollah’s main strongholds are located, would likely be razed to the ground.
An Israeli ground offensive to eradicate Hezbollah could take years. The militant group is far more advanced and better armed than Hamas in Gaza, which is still resisting after 10 months of intense Israeli bombing and ground maneuvers.
Would a war put the US, Iran and other countries in a tight spot?
A full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah could escalate into a region-wide conflict.
Iran is the patron of Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups in Syria, Iraq and YemenIran has announced that it will launch its own retaliatory strike for the killing of The supreme leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyehin an explosion in the capital last month for which Israel was widely blamed. Israel has not said whether it was involved.
Iran-backed groups throughout the region have repeatedly attacked Israeli, US and International goals since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip and could increase it in order to reduce the pressure from Hezbollah.
The United States has now pledged iron support to Israel and deployed a large number of military resources there. including the aircraft carrier battle group USS Abraham Lincolndeployed to the region to prevent possible retaliatory strikes by Iran or Hezbollah.
A US-led coalition helped shoot down hundreds of missiles and drones that Iran fired at Israel in April in response to an Israeli attack in Syria that killed two Iranian generals, a move both sides downplayed. an obvious Israeli counterattack against Iranand tensions gradually eased.
What impact would a war have on the ceasefire efforts in the Gaza Strip?
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have been trying for months to reach an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of numerous hostages held by Hamas. These efforts have gained urgency in recent weeksbecause diplomats see such an agreement as the best hope for reducing regional tensions.
Hezbollah has said it will halt its attacks along the border if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. It is unclear whether Hezbollah or Iran would halt or scale back their threatened retaliatory strikes following the killing of Shukur and Haniyeh, but neither wants to be seen as disrupting a ceasefire agreement.
Despite intensive diplomacy, there are still major gaps, including Israel’s demand for a permanent presence along two strategic corridors in the Gaza Stripa demand that was rejected by Hamas and Egypt. High-level talks will take place in Egypt on Sunday.
