Why Israel Struck Hezbollah In Lebanon Again Amid Conflict With Iran
New Delhi:
Israel has intensified its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon as tensions mount across the region following recent escalations between Israel and Iran. The Israeli military confirmed on Friday that it had killed a key Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon, citing an urgent need to neutralise imminent threats to its northern border.
The commander, Mohammad Khadr al-Husseini, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was a senior figure in Hezbollah's operations. According to the military, al-Husseini had played a central role in orchestrating multiple attacks on Israeli cities, including Nahariya and Haifa, and had recently been tasked with rebuilding Hezbollah's depleted artillery units.
"His actions constituted a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel," the Israeli military said.
The strike was part of a series of precision operations undertaken by the Israeli Air Force amid a rapidly deteriorating environment. On Wednesday night, two other Hezbollah commanders were killed in a separate strike in the Nabatieh region. One of them, Mohammad Ahmad Khreiss, led Hezbollah's anti-tank missile unit based in Chebaa. He was directly responsible for the April 26 attack on Mount Dov, which killed an Israeli military contractor named Sharif Suad.
Hezbollah's Warning
The strikes came in the wake of a warning by Hezbollah's current Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, who expressed full support for Iran and pledged action against what he termed "brutal Israeli-American aggression." Qassem's comments drew a sharp rebuke from Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz.
"The Hezbollah leader hasn't learned from his predecessors," Katz said, alluding to former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated in an Israeli strike in September 2024. "If there is terrorism - there will be no Hezbollah."
Katz, speaking from Tel Aviv on Friday, repeated his warning to Qassem: "I suggest that the Lebanese proxy be careful. Israel has lost patience with the terrorists who threaten it."
Proxy Networks
Israel's decision to ramp up strikes against Hezbollah comes amid questions over Iran's ability to mobilise its regional proxy network. Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and Hamas in Gaza form what Tehran calls the "Axis of Resistance." Yet as Israel hits targets inside Iranian territory and beyond, these allied groups have remained relatively subdued.
Hezbollah, long regarded as Iran's most capable non-state ally, has noticeably scaled back its operations since the start of Israel's campaign against Iranian interests. The group's leadership has suffered serious setbacks. In addition to Nasrallah's assassination, logistical challenges following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria have severed key weapons supply routes. At the same time, economic hardship and strained Iranian financial backing have weakened its internal cohesion.
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