ASSESSMENTS

Hezbollah's Retaliation Risks Emboldening Israel, Portending More Violence

Aug 26, 2024 | 20:32 GMT

A Hezbollah UAV is intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024.
A Hezbollah UAV is intercepted by Israeli air forces over northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024.

(JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah's marginally impactful attack is unlikely to deter Israel, leaving the door open for further Israeli strikes in Lebanon that sustain the risk of an all-out war, especially as Iran and other militant groups prepare for their own rounds of retaliation. On Aug. 25, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah launched hundreds of rockets and dozens of drones toward numerous Israeli military targets in northern Israel. Hezbollah claimed that these strikes were part of its long-awaited retaliation for the assassination of Hezbollah commander Faud Shukr in Beirut on July 30. The group also claimed the barrage was aimed at distracting the Israeli military's air defenses and paving the way for drones that targeted two bases deep inside of Israel: the Gelilot base, which houses Israel's elite signals intelligence Unit 8200 and is located just 1.5 kilometers north of Tel Aviv, and an airbase 75 kilometers south of Lebanon. Half an hour...

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