Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in limited but deadly conflict for five months, since the Lebanese group first struck Israel in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza. Now this violence is in danger of escalating into a fuller, more devastating war, as Israeli leaders threaten a large-scale attack on Lebanon if Hezbollah does not pull back from Israel’s northern border.
Open war between Hezbollah and Israel would be disastrous. Western officials are attempting now to mediate some de-escalation on the Lebanon-Israel front. There is only so much they can do, though, without a cease-fire in Gaza, yet another reason one is so urgently needed.
Hezbollah Before Oct. 7
Hezbollah is simultaneously a Lebanese political party and an armed force active inside and outside Lebanon.