US-Israeli Conflict Expands into Lebanon

Escalating Tensions in the Middle East

The US-Israeli conflict with Iran has expanded into Lebanon, with the armed group Hezbollah and the Israeli military trading fire.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government has demanded that Hezbollah hand over its weapons, calling any military activity by the group ‘illegal.’

Additionally, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam stated that the Lebanese state rejects any military or security actions launched from Lebanese territory outside the framework of its legitimate institutions.

Hezbollah’s Response

Hezbollah launched a number of missiles from South Lebanon, prompting a furious reaction from Israel, which attacked targets in South Lebanon and a southern suburb of Beirut multiple times.

However, Hezbollah said in a statement that their attacks were a ‘legitimate defensive response’ and were conducted in response to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

For example, retired Lebanese armed forces general Maroun Hitti told Breaking Defense that Hezbollah’s attack on Israel has ‘instantly transformed Lebanon from fragile bystander to active battlefield,’ describing the situation as ‘harsh and asymmetric.’,

Eyes On Iran’s Proxies

Ahead of the exchange, there was an open question about whether Hezbollah would join the fight on the side of their decades-long patron.

Therefore, observers are closely watching Iran’s other historical proxies, including Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq and Houthis in Yemen.

Furthermore, Kristian Alexander, a security and defense analyst based in the Gulf, theorized that those groups are, for now, exercising ‘restraint because escalation at this stage carries high strategic risks for them and for the states that host them.’,