Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon today, killing more than 180 people. The Israeli military also warned residents to leave areas where it said Hezbollah was storing weapons, prompting thousands to evacuate southern Lebanon. The air campaign comes a day after Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets into northern Israel. (AP)
Our Take
Israel has been signaling for weeks that it would be shifting the center of its military operations from Gaza, where it has few military goals left to achieve, to the country’s northern border with Lebanon and Hezbollah. Indeed, the ramped-up bombing campaign suggests that this shift is more than just a momentary episode.
Israel has also hinted at a potential ground invasion of Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, and the quick escalation from last week’s pager attack to today’s airstrikes could presage that campaign. Of course, doing so would set off an all-out war, but Israel’s risk-tolerance with Hezbollah has already risen significantly, mainly because in Israel’s post-Oct. 7 security calculus, latent threats on its borders are no longer acceptable. Israel’s northern border communities have also already been largely evacuated, meaning there is less threat to those populations from a war.