Nov 11, 2024 – In a significant escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Hezbollah fired 165 rockets at northern Israel on Sunday, November 12, 2024. It marks a considerable boost in hostilities and comes on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s earlier acknowledgment of an attempted pager attack in the Gaza Strip.
From now on, the Israeli military is targeting them with airstrikes, indicating an even higher level of aggressiveness during the crackdown on Gaza that is continuing from the assassination of senior Hezbollah leaders on Sunday.
Elevated Attacks and Responses
The rocket barrage from Hezbollah forms part of a significant retaliation campaign against Israeli strikes in Gaza and the more recent killing of two senior commanders inside Hezbollah.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted most rockets. However, some nonetheless caused material damage and injuries to civilians on the ground. The attacks set off air raid sirens across northern Israel, provoking fear among residents and inciting the closure of public spaces and educational institutions.
In its response, Israel immediately targeted airstrikes at the Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon. The IDF stated that the strikes aimed at neutralizing the rocket launch sites, thus neutralizing any further attacks from Hezbollah, which is among Hamas’s significant allies in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
In this context, one of the principal goals Netanyahu delineates in his speech was to publicly admit the supposed involvement of Israel in the pager attack attempted against a commander in Gaza.
This was perceived as an assertive demonstration of Israel’s growing intelligence hand in the fight against Hamas. Such an admission formed part of the larger game plan of Netanyahu to justify Israel’s relentless military campaign waged in bombing Gaza under criticism for its heavy casualty rate of civilians and the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Hezbollah strongly protested what it considered a provocation and a direct affront to its influence in the region. Behind that is the fear that the two-front war that has already opened could extend to Gaza, then Lebanon, and potentially Syria, making already uncertain situations worse across the volatile Middle East.
The impact on civil populations
This rocket barrage comes to be one of the more intense ones since the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalated in October 2023. In northern Israel, civilians on both sides have been affected by heavy casualty figures.
Many have taken shelter in bunkers. Nevertheless, there is growing concern about the possibility of large-scale displacement of populations near the Israel-Lebanon border.
The situation in Gaza is grim owing to the Israeli airstrikes and subsequent sizable ground offensive to destroy Hamas’ infrastructure. Aid workers say the problem is worsening, with food, water, and medicines remaining dangerously lacking.
The global reaction
The international community was calling for de-escalation. The United Nations urged both sides to restrain against a clear message that further escalation could lead to a more significant regional conflict.
For U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calls for talks on a ceasefire were missed; neither side looks ready to heed it, and more international pressure must be put on both sides to consider this option.
Thus, a raging conflict would have enormous consequences on the geopolitics of the region, where fears that Iran, a supporter of Hezbollah, may play a role loom larger. That lack of international mediation would mean that the current situation could sink into more profound wars involving the contest between opposing factions all over the Middle East.
