Okay:
Iran-backed Hezbollah is preparing a "calculated strike" against Israel in response to two drones that crashed in Beirut at the weekend, two sources close to Hezbollah told Reuters on Tuesday.
Israel is hammering Iran in Syria and now in Iraq. So naturally Iran would like their sock puppet Hezbollah to distract Israel. Because Iran is willing to fight Israel to the last Arab, don't you know?
And Israel fights back despite Iran using Arab countries as proxy warriors who get to take the casualties:
The long shadow war between Israel and Iran has burst into the open in recent days, with Israel allegedly striking Iran-linked targets as far away as Iraq and crash-landing two drones in Hezbollah-dominated southern Beirut.
Although I say again, despite what the article states, that Iran's campaign against Israel is what raises tensions and not Israel fighting back.
Speaking of that campaign:
[Israeli] Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said Thursday that Israel has detected an "intensified" effort by Iran and Hezbollah to establish missile-production facilities in Lebanon. He released the names of four officials, led by an Iranian brigadier general, allegedly leading the effort.
"Iran and Hezbollah are endangering Lebanon," he said.
Huh. So striking Hezbollah would help an endangered Lebanon, right?
But if Hezbollah does indeed attempt a big strike on Israel--or just builds up the ability to do so--Israel might take that opportunity to do what I've long suspected Israel would attempt--launch what is essentially a multi-division ground raid (with air support, of course) into Lebanon all the way to Baalbek to tear up Hezbollah's infrastructure and kill as many Hezbollah trained rear echelon types as possible. Grabbing files and computers plus grabbing leaders who don't run fast enough.
Hezbollah has already lost a lot of fighters in Syria fighting other Arabs to keep Assad in power on orders from Iran.
Does Hezbollah really want to invite an Israeli campaign that really hammers Hezbollah and cripples them for a generation (or longer if a weak Lebanon can reassert territorial control over the resistance of a crippled Hezbollah)?
UPDATE: Yeah, keep poking the giant:
The Israeli military on Sunday said an anti-tank missile had been fired from Lebanon toward Israel, while the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed it had scored a direct hit on an Israeli military vehicle.
One of these days, a small thing like that will be the justification to hammer Hezbollah.
UPDATE: Israel responded with artillery fire:
No one was hurt by the Israeli artillery fire, which lasted about two hours and hit fields near the border village of Maroun el-Ras and the nearby village of Yaroun.
The UN cruised through the area after to inspect. Pity the UN presence does nothing to interfere with Hezbollah.
For an organization of states the UN sure doesn't seem to care that a sub-state actor sponsored by Iran defies the state of Lebanon with impunity.
UPDATE: Interesting news from the August 24th post:
In Lebanon Israeli warplanes, including F-35s, hit several Hezbollah targets. There was to be a second wave of attacks but the Israelis noted that after the first attacks the Russians put several of their Su-35 fighters into the air off the Lebanese coast as if to confront any second wave of Israeli airstrikes. Those missions were canceled until the situation with Russian could be sorted out.
The Israelis would have won any clash, but their working relationship over Iran would have been severely stressed. Israel did not want to do that.
Conversely, Russia was willing to lose some planes and wreck their working relationship with Israel to essentially defend Iran?
