A senior US official said that America is increasingly concerned that the skirmishes on the Israel-Lebanon border could shortly become a full-scale war, according to Ynet News.
Although Hezbollah has been consistently attacking Israel since the Hamas massacre of October 7th, Israel has had its hands full fighting Hamas in Gaza and more recently, in Rafah.
Hezbollah though, seems to be emboldened by Israel's somewhat lukewarm military response to its attacks. Just last week, it attacked civilians on a soccer field and today (Thursday), as part of its retaliation for an Israeli strike that killed a senior Hezbollah field commander, it has fired dozens of missiles and drones towards the north of Israel, even going so far as to include Tzfat in its sights.
Israelis in northern Israel have spent today running back and forth to their air raid shelters as sirens wail in the sky. So far, two people have been wounded in the attacks. There are also 15 separate fires raging as a result of missiles and interceptions.
The American official quoted above says that one of the reasons for America's concern is that full-out war that could have implications which would extend beyond the region itself. He also said that "returning to the status quo to Oct. 6 in Lebanon is not an acceptable or viable option."
Meanwhile, as reported by the Times of Israel, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer says, "Lebanon and Hezbollah, under the guidance of Iran, bear full responsibility for the deterioration of the security situation in the north. ... Whether through diplomatic efforts — or otherwise — Israel will restore security on our northern border.”
