The commander of a peacekeeping force in Lebanon has warned of the possibility of an ‘all-out war’ between Hezbollah and Israel.
Iran-backed Hezbollah and other militant groups reportedly use olive groves and fruit trees for cover while they launch weapons over Lebanon’s southern border.
Each attack, which began a day after the conflict in Gaza, is met with fire from Israel, which spies from observation posts along the border and constantly flies drones.
Every rocket from Hezbollah prompts artillery fire from the state, which is met with anti-tank missiles from the militants, which are followed up with air strikes from Israel.
The two sides do not appear to be attempting to gain any territory or destroy the other, simply to state their intent.
Also in the mix is the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – a multi-national force charged with keeping the peace and deterring hostility.
Lieutenant-Colonel Cathal Keohane from the force told Sky News that recent fighting at the border has been deeply worrying.
“It is fair to say that this is the most fraught period of time in the last 20 years for us,” he said.
“While initially in the first few weeks (after 8 October) it was very localised to the Blue Line, more lately, it has escalated, the attacks are moving deeper into Lebanon.
“There are a wider range of weapons with great lethality being used by both sides.”
“Our concern is that at the top of the ladder is all-out war and our concern is that we are progressing towards that.”
The UNIFIL posts are in the heart of the battle zone with hostile fire landing close. A soldier showed Sky News a photo of one of their positions engulfed with smoke from a white phosphorous bomb.
White phosphorous can cause deep and severe burns down to the bone and is banned from being dropped on civilians by the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).
This has not stopped Israel from using it, with the Lebanese Minister of Health saying the chemical had injured dozens along the border and destroyed acres of olive trees.
