Last updated on August 29th, 2024 at 07:00 am
A source close to Hezbollah, which has been hinted by Israel as promising reprisals for a lethal rocket attack on the annexed Golan Heights, has vacated a series of positions in southern and eastern Lebanon. The development came amid fears that hostilities in Gaza could spread beyond its frontier.
Rocket Attack and Accusations
Tensions widened after rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 young people in Majdal Shams. Israel blamed the attack on Hezbollah, which it said had launched an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket, but the Lebanese terrorist organization denied any involvement in the attack, claiming that it was not involved and had “no connection” to the incident.
Ongoing Cross-Border Conflict
Up till this report, it has maintained heavy presence in Bekaa valley and southern Lebanon, thus almost daily attacking Israeli positions to show solidarity with its ally Hamas since October. While most of the exchanges of fire have been confined to the border areas, Israel has conducted strikes deep within Lebanon, including overnight raids.
Hezbollah in Syria
Other Hezbollah fighters are deployed in Syria, where they have been backing President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-Iran groups and fighters affiliated with Lebanon’s Hezbollah evacuated positions south of Damascus and the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights, in anticipation of Israeli airstrikes. This is not the first time such an incident has happened; similar evacuations occurred in June after Israeli raids.
Israel’s Military Campaigns in Syria
Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks against Syria since the start of that country’s civil war in 2011, targeting regime positions as well as Iran-backed fighters such as Hezbollah. They are meant to buckle supply lines for the extremist Hezbollah.
Israel seldom comments on individual attacks but says it won’t let Iran turn its neighbor into a base from which it projects power.
Recent Developments
The raids by Israel against Syria have increased with the elevated confrontation in the Gaza Strip following an October 7 attack by Hamas against Israel. Attacks have somewhat eased after an April 1 attack, blamed on Israel, struck the Iranian consular building in Damascus, prompting Iran to launch for the first time a direct missile and drone attack on Israel and ratcheting up regional tensions.
The evacuation by Hezbollah does, however, indicate that it prepares for any kind of retaliation by Israelis, and the situation remains volatile. War in Gaza has heightened the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which in turn continues to heighten instability in the region.