Israel has intensified its bombardment of Lebanon, striking what it says are hundreds of sites linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, with Lebanese authorities saying the barrage killed more than 500 people on one day alone. The escalation, after nearly a year of cross-border fire, has added to concerns of a much bigger war between Israel and Hezbollah that could cause major destruction and drag in Iran. This is how the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah are playing out: Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel on Oct.
8, a day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked communities in southern Israel and sparked the Gaza war. Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, says its attacks aim to support Palestinians who are under Israeli bombardment in Gaza. The Gaza war has drawn in Iran-backed militants across the region.
Hezbollah is widely deemed the most powerful member of the Iran-backed network, known as the Axis of Resistance. While linked to Gaza, the conflict has its own dynamics. Israel and Hezbollah have fought numerous wars, the last major one in 2006.
Israel has long viewed Hezbollah as the biggest threat at its borders and has been deeply alarmed by its growing arsenal, and the foothold it has established in Syria. Hezbollah’s ideology is largely defined by conflict with Israel. It was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982 to fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon that year, and waged years of guerrilla war that led Israel to withdraw from sout.
