BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 5 (UPI) -- Hezbollah, significantly degraded but still armed, has again ventured to drag Lebanon into another war -- this time in support of Iran -- by resuming military actions against Israel and risking a longer occupation, greater destruction and further destabilization of Lebanon, analysts said.
The assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war Saturday triggered Hezbollah to launch missiles and drones at northern Israel early Monday after months of relative restraint.
Whether the Shiite militant group, which has been funded and heavily armed by Iran since its establishment in the early 1980s, took the decision itself or acted on orders from its patron, the outcome would not change.
Hezbollah Secretary Sheikh Naim Qassem said Wednesday night that his group resumed military activities in response to 15 months of Israeli aggressions since the Nov. 27, 2024, cease‑fire -- achieved to end the 2023 Hezbollah‑Israel war -- and Khamanei's killing
From the Israeli perspective, Hezbollah has fallen into a "strategic trap," a statement interpreted as giving it the opportunity to destroy the group, meaning Israel now believes it has political and military freedom to inflict major damage on the group.
