Are Israel And Lebanon Heading For Another War? - Breaking Defense

Thoughts?
While tensions are high between Israel and the Shiite group Hezbollah in Lebanon, experts are skeptical another full-scale destructive war is likely. But given the state of the region right now, no one is ready to rule out smaller, potentially deadly confrontations.

On August 6, the long-term adversaries exchanged cross-border fires. It started when Hezbollah fired a bunch of rockets over Israel’s northern frontier, leading the latter to hit back with artillery, with no casualties reported on either side.

The clashes came at a time where Lebanon is facing multiple crises, including political deadlock that has left the country without a fully functioning executive authority and a devastating economic and financial collapse. And the rocket launches may be timed to two major anniversaries: the 15th anniversary of the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, and the one year anniversary of the horrific explosion at Beirut’s port.

Purely on its face, the rhetoric from both Hezbollah and Israel has been fiery. Commenting on the incident, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah publicly expressed confidence about any future conflict. “We are fully prepared for the war, and we are certain that we will win it,” he said in a televised speech on August 7. And over the weekend, Israeli PM Naftali Bennett warned that Lebanon’s government would be held responsible for further attacks from within its territory.