International media outlets report that Hezbollah officials claim that the response to the assassination of Shuker was delayed in line with the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, and that the response was designed to prevent the escalation to a full-scale war. Conversations with the senior Hezbollah official revealed to Reuters that Hezbollah claims the planned response to Shuker’s assassination, which was thwarted early this morning by preemptive strikes by the IDF in southern Lebanon, was intentionally designed to avoid escalation to a full-scale war with Israel.
According to Reuters’ report, the official stated: "We acted to ensure that the response would not lead to a full-scale war." Additionally, the senior official revealed the reasons for the prolonged delays that caused Hezbollah to attack weeks after the assassination.
According to the same source: "The response to Shuker’s assassination was delayed for political reasons, mainly due to the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza." Ultimately, Hezbollah's response, in its current form as thwarted this morning, was much more limited than security assessments had predicted over the past weeks. While many security reports indicated an intention to launch thousands of rockets, aircraft, and additional weaponry towards numerous strategic points across the country, so far it appears the response was intended to be a relatively limited action. Most of the thwarted firepower was directed at the northern border, rather than at strategic bases across the country as previously claimed.
