On Sunday, November 5, the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border deteriorated significantly. Four civilians – three children and a woman – were killed. These are the sister and three granddaughters of journalist Samir Ayoub. The journalist, who was traveling in another car, was injured. Four medics were also injured in separate Israeli drone strikes. Following these unprecedented events since clashes began on the Lebanese-Israeli border on October 8, Hezbollah fired rockets at the northern Galilee town of Kyriat Chmona.
Published on: June 11, 2023 – 00:42
2 minutes
With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
By reacting quickly to the Death of Lebanese civilians And by claiming responsibility for the rocket fire on Kyriat Chmona for the first time since October 8, Hezbollah wanted to show its commitment to follow through the equation formulated by Hassan Nasrallah. In a November 3 speech, the Shiite leader warned that the same would happen in Israel if civilian targets were attacked in Lebanon.
In view of this, analysts and observers in Beirut are wondering what reasons led the Israeli army to attack civilian targets in Lebanon, thereby violating the tacit rules of combat between the two warring parties. Some experts believe the Israelis want to impose new rules of engagement given Hezbollah’s war of attrition, which daily attacks Israeli army positions along the border.
Other analysts offer a military explanation: The Israelis want to paralyze car traffic on the roads near the border to impede the movement of Hezbollah fighters in the area.
Concerned about this escalation, which could lead to a conflagration, Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati announced that Beirut would file a complaint against Israel at the United Nations.
Also read: Hassan Nasrallah’s speech: “Hezbollah’s calculations depend on Hamas’s survival”