On 1 March, Lebanese militia and Iranian proxy Hezbollah began firing a barrage of missiles into northern Israel, surprising many observers. It was not the escalation itself that was unexpected, but Hezbollah’s remaining offensive capabilities as it was widely assumed that these had been degraded after two years of attrition and near-daily Israeli strikes on its positions.
The attack left Israel facing a difficult calculation. With its efforts focused on dismantling Iran’s military capabilities alongside the United States, opening a second front with Hezbollah carried significant risk. This would put it in a similar situation to the one that emerged after 7 October, when Hezbollah joined Hamas in attacks on Israel (MEES, 13 October 2023). (CONTINUED - 989 WORDS)
