Hezbollah Resumes Attacks, Israel Shifts to Targeted Killings

Overnight into Monday, Hezbollah launched attacks on two Israeli forces near Zar’it post and Abu Djaj heights, and another group at the Raheb post. Concurrently, Israel conducted airstrikes in southern Lebanon, targeting a two-story building in Shihine and several towns including Tayr Harfa, Merwahin, and al-Taybeh.

Israeli artillery also bombarded various areas such as Mays al Jabal, the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, Houla, Deir Mimas, Yarine, al-Bustan, Kfarkila, and the Marjayoun plain.

These incidents are part of the ongoing hostilities that have occurred almost daily since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7.

On Sunday, an Israeli airstrike in the village of Kafra killed a member of Lebanese Hezbollah and a woman, injuring several others. This attack reflects a shift in Israel’s tactics towards targeted assassinations in Lebanon, after over three months of frequent clashes along the border. Unlike previous incidents, recent Israeli strikes have targeted specific individuals affiliated with Hezbollah, sometimes striking areas relatively distant from the border.

One such strike on Saturday near Tyre, a Lebanese port city, resulted in the deaths of four individuals, including a Hezbollah commander, Ali Hodroj, and a civilian, Mohammad Baqir Diab, a tech sector businessman. Hodroj was laid to rest in southern Lebanon, while Diab was buried in Beirut.

On January 2, an alleged Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb killed a senior Hamas official, Saleh Arouri, marking the first such strike in Beirut since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

A Hezbollah Member of Parliament, Hussein Jeshi, speaking at Hodroj’s funeral, accused Israel of resorting to assassinations as a response to its inability to achieve a military victory against Hamas in Gaza.

Following these events, Hezbollah announced an attack on the Israeli town of Avivim as retaliation for the Kafra strike and other Israeli assaults on Lebanese villages and civilians.

Israel, while not specifically commenting on the Avivim strike, acknowledged striking several Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday. They reported that an anti-tank missile had hit a house in Avivim, but no injuries were recorded.

Amidst these escalating tensions, diplomats from the United States and Europe have intensified their efforts to prevent a full-scale war on the Lebanese front, engaging in diplomatic talks with both Israel and Lebanon.