The 2024 Israel War in Lebanon never really completely ended, the invasion was somewhat stopped by a ceasefire, though near daily Israeli attacks continued throughout that ceasefire. With strikes escalating Friday, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is warning that a “new war” may be brewing.
The attacks targeting southern Lebanon are more intense Friday than what is normally seen, with Israel reporting they are targeting Hezbollah after rocket fire against the Israeli border village of Metula. This is the first rocket fire from Lebanon into Israel since the ceasefire went into effect.
Israel’s attacks included dozens of airstrikes, and at least two people were killed, one of them a child, and eight others wounded. Lebanese President Aoun warned the attacks were a sign of a deterioration in the security situation in the south.
The Metula rockets remain something of a mystery. The Lebanese Army reported “primitive rocket launchers” found in the area and dismantled them. Hezbollah denied any role in the rocket fire, and indeed they historically have had more than just primitive launchers at their disposal. No other group has taken credit yet.
The rockets against Metula appear to have done little to no damage, with Israel reporting intercepting them while some other reports suggest some may have hit the area, but little resulted from them. Metula’s mayor condemned the Israeli government and the IDF Northern Command after the situation, accusing them of failures and claiming they’re trying to “normalize” rocket fire in the area.
Though the rockets are important, more consequential is the follow-up, which looks to be a precipitous escalation of Israeli strikes into Lebanon, in the name of targeting Hezbollah. Several airstrikes also targeted the village of Kfar Kela, on the Lebanese side of the border immediately across from Metula. Several were injured there.
Tit for tat strikes eventually escalated into a full-scale Israeli invasion in September of 2024, a damaging war from which Lebanon has yet to really begin rebuilding. They could ill-afford to see another invasion happen so soon after, and preempting future rocket fire, whoever might be firing them, is likely a priority for Lebanon’s relatively new government.
