The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Monday fired more rockets and artillery at Israel in retaliation for the deaths of three fighters, raising fears of another front opening as Israeli forces combat the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
In a statement carried by state media, Hezbollah said it struck two Israeli command centers in the Galilee region in northern Israel “using guided missiles and mortar shells, causing direct hits.”
Hezbollah said the rocket strikes were in response for the “martyrdom” of three fighters who were reportedly killed during Israeli attacks earlier Monday.
According to Reuters, Israel sent helicopters to strike targets and shelled southern Lebanon on Monday after a cross-border raid from Palestinian Islamic Jihad members.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that one Israeli soldier died and six others were injured during the Islamic Jihad raid. Israeli forces said they defeated the gunmen who stormed across the border.
Hezbollah and Israel also exchanged fire Sunday, a day after Hamas invaded southern Israel and killed hundreds of people.
Hezbollah was created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in 1982 in the wake of an Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a brief war that ended after about 34 days. The two armies have since exchanged incremental rocket fire over the borders.
Israel is now conducting a major counteroffensive operation against Hamas, striking targets in Gaza with fighter jets and rockets, while cutting off electricity and food to the Gaza Strip ahead of a possible ground operation.
If Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran just as Hamas is, were to join the fight against Israel, that would open up another front in northern Israel that would divide forces. Hezbollah also has much more strength and capabilities than Hamas.
Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in an emailed statement Monday that the “north is heating up.”
“It’s a significant concern for Israel and the United States. A war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah would be far more bitter than anything that has occurred between Israel and Hamas in recent years,” Schanzer said. “Hezbollah is better armed and trained. It has the potential to inflict serious damage upon Israel.”
Although the exchange of fire is concerning, it’s not clear how large the threat is. Lebanon has many domestic problems at home, including a poor economy, so a war is unlikely to be popular at the moment.
Israel for now is focused on clearing Gaza of Hamas militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to make Hamas pay a price for the attack over the weekend and said Monday his nation “will win the war.”
“The savage attacks that Hamas perpetrated against innocent Israelis are mind-boggling,” Netanyahu said during an address. “Israel is not only fighting for its own people, it’s fighting for every country that stands against barbarism.”