Early Wednesday, Hezbollah fired five anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military patrol along the border, killing two troops and wounding seven others. Israel responded by attacking several Lebanese army bases and killing a UN observer force member.
Hezbollah officials say the attack was an “eye for an eye” retaliation for Israel’s attack in Syria last week, in which they killed six Hezbollah fighters, including their top anti-ISIS leader.
They went on to try to assure Israel that they aren’t seeking further escalation, and that the attack was an apparent one-off, not an effort to start a new Israel-Lebanon war.
Where Israel stands on that remains to be seen, as with the election looming large in March Israeli officials are all going into business for themselves, trying to champion responses they each see as ideal for their own election chances. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, notably, called for a “disproportionate” response.