Hezbollah has been directed by Iran to strike at Israeli forces along the border with Lebanon according to Israel’s chief military spokesperson.
The Iranian-backed Shia militia has carried out a number of attacks against Israeli Army posts in the past week including a strike that killed one soldier and a civilian.
Hezbollah has also published video footage appearing to show snipers targeting Israeli military CCTV cameras along the border.
The tactics have been viewed as a potential strategy to blind Israel’s ability to monitor Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon.
Both Hezbollah and Iran have threatened to open up a front for Israel should Tel Aviv launch a full-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip.
The blame for Hezbollah attacks has been placed on Iran by Israeli officials who have warned the powerful Lebanese faction not to intervene in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The IDF’s chief military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a recent briefing: “Hezbollah carried out a number of attacks yesterday in order to try to divert our operational efforts [away from the Gaza Strip], under the direction and backing of Iran, while endangering the state of Lebanon and its citizens.”
He added: “If Hezbollah dares to test us, the reaction will be deadly. The United States is giving us full backing.”
Hezbollah is well-armed with an array of modern weapons and powerful missiles plus thousands of trained soldiers.
The Israeli military is believed to view Hezbollah as a greater military threat than Hamas in Gaza.
In 2006, the two sides fought an inconclusive war in Lebanon which lasted a little over a month.
Hezbollah commanders are said to be watching events in Gaza closely with Lebanese politician Hassan Fadlallah declaring the group’s next step “is tied to what is going on in Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to rain down on Gaza following last weekend’s attacks by Hamas, the latest spiral in violence has claimed over four thousand Palestinian and Israeli lives.
