Israeli Defense Minister Values Hezbollah's Attack On Borders Makes The Situation Closer To Military Escalation

The Israeli military is on the border with Lebanon. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant assesses the ongoing tension with Iran-backed Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon, leaving the situation closer to the military escalation.

"We are committed to the diplomatic process, but Hezbollah's aggression brought us closer to a critical point in making decisions regarding our military activities in Lebanon," Defense Minister Gallant said after meeting with US envoy Amos Hochstein to discuss mediation to end the conflict in Gaza. March 6th.

Israel and Hezbollah are known to have started attacking each other since the Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, sparking fears of an all-out war hazard between fully armed enemies.

Hezbollah has indicated it will carry out a ceasefire if Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip stop, describing its campaign aimed at supporting Palestinians who were attacked in Gaza.

But while visiting Beirut on Monday, Hochstein warned the ceasefire in Gaza did not necessarily end hostilities on the southern border of Lebanon.

He said the temporary ceasefire was not enough and a limited war could not be contained.

Most of the violence between Israel and Hezbollah took place near the border, with exceptions including Israeli airstrikes on February 26 in the Bekaa Valley, and an Israeli drone strike on January 2 in Beirut that killed an important Hamas leader.

In violence on Monday, an Israeli attack killed three emergency workers from a group affiliated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese government said, and a civilian was killed in northern Israel as a result of an attack from Lebanon.

Israeli attacks since October have killed more than 200 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians in Lebanon, while attacks from Lebanon on Israel have killed dozens of Israeli soldiers and six civilians. Tens of thousands of Israelis and Lebanese have left villages on both sides of the border.

On the other hand, mediators have been trying to reach a 40-day ceasefire in the Gaza war ahead of the Ramadan fasting month which starts early next week.