Don’t Forget the Northern Border: Escalations Between Hezbollah and Israel

20-10-2023

Andrej Confalonieri

Middle East and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

Much like last week, the world's attention remains focused on the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas. However, issues are also emerging on the northern Israeli border, where there have been rocket exchanges between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. [1] It is important to note that most of the Western world, including the United Kingdom and the United States (“the US”), designates Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. [2] Hezbollah, whose name means “Party of God”, is a Shia armed and political organisation with significant support from Iran. Established in 1982, it was created to resist Israel's occupation of Southern Lebanon in the same year, originating from the armed groups established by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after Israel's invasion. Drawing its support primarily from Shia Muslims, Hezbollah is considered one of the most significant adversaries of Israel in the Middle East. [3] 

While the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah on the northern Israeli border is currently in the spotlight, it is essential to understand the complex history of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel, which has a complex timeline that traces back to 15 May 1948, when Lebanon, along with Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq, declared war on Israel a day after Israel had declared its independence. [4] Lebanon's involvement in subsequent conflicts, including the Six-Day War in 1967, resulted in an influx of Palestinian refugees into the country, contributing to heightened tensions. Over the years, border skirmishes and political divisions within Lebanon have played a role in perpetuating hostilities. However, a pivotal moment occurred in 2006 when Hezbollah, in a cross-border operation in Israel, captured two Israeli soldiers and killed three others, triggering the 34-day-long conflict known as the July War. This conflict had a significant impact, with a substantial number of casualties, particularly among Lebanese civilians, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 4,400 wounded. [5] Following the 2006 conflict, the situation along the border achieved a degree of relative stability. 

Tensions on the northern Israeli border have escalated recently, with clashes between Israel and Hezbollah amidst the bombardment of the Gaza Strip. [6] On Monday 9 October 2023, a confrontation at the border resulted in the deaths of three Israeli soldiers, as infiltrators from Lebanon, claimed to be members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, were involved. [7] Subsequently, the Israeli military launched attacks on Lebanese sites in response to mortar fire, causing the deaths of at least three Hezbollah militants. This has led to the deployment of a significant portion of the 300,000 Israeli reserve soldiers who have been called up in response to the confrontation with Hamas on the southern border. [8] 

The conflict continued to escalate in the days that followed. For example, on Sunday, October 15, Hezbollah fighters conducted attacks on Israeli army posts and a northern border village, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes in Lebanon. [9] Hezbollah also targeted Shtula, a farming community near the border fence, resulting in one fatality and three injuries. The group claimed to have launched guided missiles at barracks in Israel's Hanita, asserting that they caused casualties among their adversaries. In response, the Israeli military retaliated in Lebanon by conducting strikes and declaring a restricted zone within a 4-kilometre area along the Lebanese border, prohibiting public access. [10] Israel, however, stated that it is not “interested in war with Hezbollah”. [11] Nonetheless, the country proceeded to evacuate 28 communities near the border due to the escalating hostilities in the following days. [12] On the Lebanese side, near the border, many residents have left the town of Bint Jbeil and nearby villages due to concerns that the conflict between Gaza and Israel could turn their region, primarily dominated by Hezbollah, into another active battleground. [13]

The uncertainty of what lies ahead is a matter of deep concern, not just for Lebanon and Israel but for the entire region. While Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has remained silent since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Hezbollah's second-in-command, Naim Qassem, has emphatically stated that the group is fully prepared and will not be deterred by external pressures, including those from the United States. [14] The organisation, considered by Israel a “more formidable force than Hamas”, has for now limited its actions to the United Nations-established Blue Line, which serves as the unofficial border between Lebanon and Israel. [15] According to a report by BBC News, an anonymous “source familiar with Hezbollah's thinking” suggests that their future actions will be influenced by the unfolding developments in Gaza and in the event of an Israeli invasion of Gaza, the source warns of a potential “regional catastrophe”. [16]  

Sources and further reading

[1] Mat Nashed, Justin Salhani, ‘Fears of war with Israel grow in Lebanon after rockets exchanged’ (Al Jazeera, 10 October 2023) <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/10/fears-of-war-with-israel-growing-in-lebanon> accessed 20 October 2023.

[2] Hugo Bachega, ‘Residents leave as tension grows at Israel-Lebanon border’ (BBC News, 20 October 2023) <Residents leave as tension grows at Israel-Lebanon border - BBC News>  accessed 20 October 2023.

[3] Al Jazeera, ‘What is Hezbollah? A look at the Lebanese armed group backing Hamas’ (Al Jazeera, 10 October 2023) <What is Hezbollah? A look at the Lebanese armed group backing Hamas | Israel-Palestine conflict News | Al Jazeera> accessed 20 October 2023.

[4] Nashed, Salhani (n 1).

[5] Ibid.

[6] Mattea Bubalo, ‘Lebanon: Israel shells militant targets across border’ (BBC News, 12 October 2023) <Lebanon: Israel shells militant targets across border - BBC News> accessed 20 October 2023.

[7] Anna Foster, ‘Israel sends soldiers to north fearing attack from Hezbollah in Lebanon’ (BBC News, 12 October 2023) <Israel sends soldiers to north fearing attack from Hezbollah in Lebanon - BBC News> accessed 20 October 2023.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Reuters, ‘Israel-Lebanon border clashes escalate’ (Reuters, 15 October 2023) <https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/one-killed-3-wounded-cross-border-hezbollah-attack-northern-israel-2023-10-15/> accessed 20 October 2023.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Reuters, ‘Israel says not interested in war with Hezbollah’ (Reuters, 15 October 2023) <Israel says not interested in war with Hezbollah | Reuters> accessed 20 October 2023.

[12] Anna Foster, David Gritten, ‘Israel evacuates communities near Lebanon border amid fears of escalation’ (BBC News, 16 October 2023) <Israel evacuates communities near Lebanon border amid fears of escalation - BBC News> accessed 20 October 2023.

[13] Bachega (n 2).

[14] Ibid.

[15] Ibid.