Hezbollah Launches Deepest Attack Into Israel Since War Began

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Facts

• Hezbollah launched its deepest strike into Israel since the two began exchanging fire across the Lebanese-Israeli border shortly after Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack on Wednesday, with the group saying it had launched 'a combined air attack' on two Israeli bases north of the city of Acre.¹
• The Israeli military denied that the drones reached their intended targets, saying they were intercepted and caused no damage or casualties. An Israeli strike immediately after Hezbollah's attack killed at least two people — including a child in the town of Hanin — according to Lebanon’s state news agency.²
• On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it hit 40 Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon through air and artillery strikes, including a weapons depot. The military also claimed that it had killed more than half of Hezbollah's commanders in south Lebanon.³
• Hezbollah released its own figures on Wednesday, with the group claiming that it had launched well over 1K attacks on Israeli border sites and military bases since the war began. The group also claimed that it had inflicted over 2K casualties, which includes deaths and injuries, on Israeli forces.⁴
• Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued on Tuesday new evacuation orders for regions of northern Gaza, including Beit Lahiya, where residents said Israeli shelling has recently intensified. The new orders came shortly after Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed to have fired rockets into southern Israel.⁵
• The UN called for an investigation into mass graves discovered in Gaza over the weekend in which hundreds of bodies have been found. Local authorities are still identifying the bodies, and the details are unclear. Israel has denied its involvement, saying it examined corpses buried outside Nasser hospital, but they 'were returned to their place.'⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²New York Times, ³The Telegraph, ⁴Al Mayadeen, ⁵Reuters and ⁶CNN.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CBS. The US is doing everything it can to both ensure that Israel can eliminate Hamas's military capabilities and prevent regional escalation. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks, whether from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US will always support Israel in maintaining its security. However, Netanyahu has gone too far with the war in Gaza, and the US will continue to stress the need for restraint and caution.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Israel has made clear time and time again that it will not tolerate Iranian-backed terrorists operating near its borders. Iran is playing a dangerous game through its attempts to destabilize the region, and Israel must deter Tehran from believing that it can gain anything from this war. Regardless of the UN's campaign to demonize Israel, Israel never wanted this war and has been forced to respond to a terrible situation. However, it will aggressively pursue its interests to ensure the security of its citizens
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Responsible Statecraft. Reflexive US support for Israel over the decades has finally culminated in a horrifying display of human brutality — mass famine against the Palestinian people. Besides moral consideration around supporting Israel's slaughter in Gaza, Israel has consistently proven time and time again that it is a bad ally that is highly unreliable. While American and Israeli interests continue to diverge, successive American leaders have failed to recalibrate. Now, the US is risking a regional war by supporting a rogue Israeli state.
• Narrative D, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. Hezbollah continues to demonstrate its capabilities and restraint, and Israel should keep in mind the weak position it currently faces. The resistance has been clear from day one that it does not want to see this war spiral into a regional conflict. Rather, Hezbollah and its allies only seek to end Israel's crimes in Gaza. Even the Israeli military has acknowledged that Hezbollah's arsenal is fully intact, and a war would be very costly.

Predictions