Hezbollah keeps up pressure on Israel's north

News Desk - The Cradle 

Hezbollah fired 30 artillery shells and anti-tank missiles at Israeli positions Saturday

Lebanese Hezbollah again clashed with the Israeli military on 14 October, amid anticipation the resistance group could open second front in the conflict against Israel in support of the Hamas-led Palestinian resistance.

According to the Israeli military, the clashes Saturday afternoon began after Hezbollah launched 30 mortars and anti-tank guided missiles at Israeli military positions in the Israeli occupied Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms area on the Lebanon border.

The Israeli military said it shelled the source of fire with artillery and carried out a drone strike on a Hezbollah cell planning to carry out an anti-tank guided missile attack against troops in the area.

The military did not state whether the Hezbollah attacks caused casualties among Israeli troops.

Earlier this summer, Hezbollah established several tents in the Mount Dov/Shebaa area on the Israeli side of the Blue Line, the internationally recognized border between the two countries. Hezbollah threatened war if Israel attempted to remove the tents, located in an area where Israel was replacing a wire fence with a tall cement barrier with advanced surveillance systems similar to its border fence with Gaza.

This revived talk in Israel of the “Dahieh Doctrine,” in which Israel has threatened to target not only Hezbollah, but also civilian areas should another conflict erupt between the two sides. The “Dahieh Doctrine” is named after the predominantly Shia quarter in southern Beirut in which Hezbollah headquarters were located in 2006. Dozens of buildings in Dahieh were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes during the final days of the 2006 War.

Saturday’s clashes came hours after the Israeli military claimed it killed three fighters, presumably from a Palestinian resistance group rather than Hezbollah, who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Lebanon on Saturday morning.

Three suspected drones were also shot down over northern Israel overnight, as was a missile launched toward a military unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Israeli military said it carried out a drone strike against a Hezbollah site in Lebanon in response.

Israel has traded fire with Hezbollah and allied Palestinian factions in Lebanon several times in recent days in tit-for-tat attacks. At least four Israeli soldiers, four Hezbollah fighters, and five Palestinian fighters have been killed in the clashes.

Israel also used artillery to kill Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and injured six other journalists broadcasting near the border.

During a visit to Beirut on 14 October, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said it was possible Hezbollah could open a second front against Israel if Tel Aviv continues the bombardment and siege of Gaza. Amir-Abdollahian stated the hands of the resistance were “on the trigger.”

On 7 October, Hamas launched a surprise attack which killed 1,200 Israelis. 1,000 Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel from Gaza while Hamas fired over 5,000 rockets at Israeli cities and settlements. 

Israel has retaliated by raining air and artillery strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 2215 Palestinians, including 724 children and 458 women. Israel has also cut off all food, water, and electricity to Gaza.