Thursday, January 29, 2015

Are Hezbollah and Israel on the Brink of Another Conflict?

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"