The Terrifying Lebanon Scenarios

Excerpt

Twelve Israelis were killed in a Hezbollah attack on the Druze village of Majd al-Shams on Saturday. The majority of the dead were children. Hezbollah has attempted to deny responsibility. The Israeli public is not buying it. Israelis of all stripes are demanding action.

The expected Israeli response could very well mark the most serious escalation in the unnamed and unofficial war between Israel and Hezbollah. Iran’s most powerful proxy began attacking Israel on October 8, one day after Hamas (another Iranian proxy) slaughtered 1,200 Israelis. While all eyes have been on Gaza, there can be no doubt that this is a coordinated two-front effort on the part of Iran’s proxies. Hezbollah has fired thousands of drones, rockets, and missiles at Israel over the past nine months. The group has forced an estimated 100,000 Israeli citizens from their homes.

Jonathan Schanzer is senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. Follow him on X @JSchanzer.