The open war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas carries the risk of regional expansion due to the intervention of the Shiite militia Hezbollah, which from Lebanon endangers the cities located on both sides of the border and whose actions can open in a second. front against the Tel Aviv Army.
Backed by Iran and considered one of the largest paramilitary forces in the region, the extremist group has held exchanges of fire with its Jewish neighbor, in the most serious incidents since the asymmetric war in 2006. given the potential Tehran’s role in the war.
Hezbollah, whose name means Party of Godemerged in 1982 within the framework of the war between Lebanon and Israel – which broke out in the middle of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) – at the hands of some Shiite clerics who studied in Iraq and who chose to follow the policies of the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini.
The militia now controls parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as parts of Beirut’s suburbs, and has the support of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which has provided advisers and military aid to consolidate the group as one of its main elements. in the country that has the goal of defeating Israel, the enemy of Tehran.
The Hebrew invasion of 1982, in which Tel Aviv took almost half of the territory with the support of Lebanese Christian groups, allowed Hezbollah to strengthen its role as a resistance group, making it gain important support and legitimacy among the population. After the Lebanese Civil War, the organization entered politics – it was represented in Parliament by the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc – becoming part of several governments.
The group is not without controversy, particularly for the activities of its armed wing – the Jihad Council – including its role in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others in a February 2005 attack in Beirut. . Likewise, he was censured for his intervention in various conflicts in the region, especially as a result of his participation in the war that broke out in 2011 in Syria, where he fought with the forces of the president, Bashar al Assad.
The main criticism at this point comes from the fact that its detractors consider that these activities carry the risk of dragging the country into an open conflict with Israel or the United States, especially since it represents in a violation of Beirut’s policy of regional non-interference. affairs. , a situation especially present in the current context.
Fear of expansionRecent months have seen an uptick in security incidents and exchanges of accusations between Hezbollah and Israel, with Tel Aviv denouncing last June the installation of two militia tents in which armed men of Shebaa Farms, occupied during the Six-Day War. in 1967.
After the attacks by Hamas, the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, “congratulated” the “heroic fighters of the Palestinian factions” and described the offensive as “a victorious operation” and a “decisive response to workplace crimes.” the Hebrew Government to “learn the important lessons provided by the Palestinian resistance.” Therefore, he maintains that he is “closely following” the events and continues to be in contact with Hamas, without openly announcing its involvement in the war.
Therefore, the opening of a new front on the border between Israel and Lebanon – patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force for Lebanon (Finul), where Spanish troops are deployed – could expand the conflict elsewhere. in the region, including the opening of another front in the Golan Heights, which connects Syria and from there to armed groups allied to Tehran in Iraq or Yemen, in addition to the Persian forces themselves.
The possible participation of the Islamic Republic in an open war will give a completely different dimension to the conflict due to the military potential of both countries – including nuclear weapons owned by Tel Aviv – and the possibility that the allies of Israel and Iran – among which. The US and Russia, in fact, stand by – supporting their partners, who are still seen as triggering a Third World War.
As a result, the Lebanese Government – in office for a year – strongly criticized Israel for its response to the attacks by Hamas, although they appealed to keep the country away from a conflict that could become will harm Lebanon, which has already been placed on a large scale. economic crisis that worsened due to the aforementioned political paralysis.
