Early Monday, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on northern Israel, retaliating against the death of Fouad Shukur’s and other commanders. The Israeli military reported that the attack wounded two Israeli troops and caused significant destruction.
The violence has escalated fears of a broader regional war following the recent killings of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran. In a statement, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah claimed responsibility for targeting a military base in northern Israel, citing “attacks and assassinations” by Israel in several south Lebanon villages as the provocation.
Despite the severity of the incident, the attack did not seem to be part of a larger, more intense retaliation anticipated after Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur’s assassination in Beirut last week. The Israeli military confirmed that fire services were actively working to extinguish a blaze caused by the attack in Ayelet HaShahar in the upper Galilee.
For the past 10 months, Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in near-daily exchanges of strikes against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. However, both sides have maintained a relatively low level of conflict that has not escalated into full-scale war.
Tensions in the region have been on the rise since last week’s assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Shukur in Beirut. Israel has been on high alert, anticipating retaliation from Iran and its allied militias.
