Written By: Hend Charif
Program Intern, World Affairs Council of Atlanta
Published: 1/29/2015
An anti-tank missile fired by Hezbollah on Wednesday in the Shebaa
Farms killed two Israeli soldiers and a Spanish U.N peacekeeper. The Shebaa
Farms is an area where the Lebanese, Syrian, and Israeli borders meet.
Hezbollah said that the shots were fired in reaction to Israel’s air strike a
few days back that killed some of Hezbollah’s fighters. Israel retaliated to
Hezbollah’s strikes, firing shots across the Lebanese border. The clash between
Hezbollah and Israel raised fears amongst civilians and politicians that the
attacks will lead to another 2006 conflict. However, the following day after
the attacks, the violence between the two stopped. This will come as a surprise
to those who are familiar with the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. For
decades there has been tension and violence between both parties. Did Israel
and Hezbollah learn the consequences from the 2006 conflict? The 2006 war
between Hezbollah and Israel was a bloody conflict that lasted for a month,
killing about 1500 civilians and soldiers, and costing billions of dollars in
reconstruction. It has only been a day since the attacks stopped, therefore, it
is too early to tell if the situation will remain calm. However, it does open a
small window of hope that both actors have finally realized that the decades of
violence exchanged has not improved the situation or advanced their interests.
Sources:
The Washington Post "Lebanon-Israel border area quiet after
concerns of another war breaking out"
BBC "Three killed as Israel and Hezbollah clash on Lebanese
border"
Yahoo News "Israel buries
soldiers, says Hezbollah doesn't want conflict"
