For nearly a month, Lebanon and Israel faced the looming threat of a wider conflict. Tensions spiked after a deadly rocket strike from Lebanon targeted the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, leading to an Israeli retaliatory strike that killed a top Hezbollah commander in southern Beirut.
Hezbollah vowed revenge, which prompted extensive flight cancellations, international warnings to leave the region, and intense diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation that Western governments feared could ignite a broader regional conflict.
On Sunday morning, Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and drones aimed at Israeli military sites in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that all Hezbollah drones were intercepted and that Israel had pre-emptively targeted Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon.
The cross-border exchange on Sunday marked a significant escalation in the 11-month-long hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. However, it appears to have averted an immediate broader conflict. Security restrictions in Israel’s upper Galilee were lifted, and Hezbollah announced it had ended its attacks for the day.
This incident seems to conclude the anticipated escalation and signals a return to the low-intensity conflict that has characterized the border region. Hezbollah’s response, described as the “first phase,” leaves room for further actions, though the group has not specified any additional plans.
The ongoing threat of retaliation from Iran for the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh remains a concern. Despite extensive diplomatic efforts by the U.S., U.K., and France to mitigate the situation and advance ceasefire talks, the region remains on edge. The conflict’s pace and intensity will largely depend on the developments in Gaza and any further actions from Iran and its allies.
