Prospects for Escalation of Mideast Conflict Seen Increasing Following Hezbollah Attack Injuring 11 Israelis

Calls are growing in Israel for a military operation against Lebanon after 11 were injured during a Hezbollah drone attack at northern Israel’s Druze town of Hurfeish. Among the injured, three are in serious condition and one is in critical condition. Some of the wounded are rescuers whom the second drone targeted, Israeli press accounts say. Warning sirens did not go off before the explosive-laden drones struck a soccer field. The Israeli military is investigating. Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, the Times of Israel reports.Prior to the attack, Prime Minister Netanyahu had appeared to hold out the possibility of a diplomatic resolution following the onslaught of Hezbollah rockets on Monday that set northern Israel ablaze. Firefighters brought the flames under control on Tuesday after civilians were evacuated from their homes.Israel is preparing for “very strong action” in the north, Mr. Netanyahu said during a visit Wednesday to the fire-ravaged northern region. “Whoever thinks they will harm us and we will sit on our hands is making a big mistake,” he said. “One way or another we will restore security to the north.”The talk of escalation comes as Hezbollah’s attacks with high-trajectory fire and suicide drones are on the rise, and the terrorist organization is mobilizing on social media to “solicit funds for weapons and terrorist activities,” according to Alma, a research center in northern Israel.Hezbollah began attacking Israel from the north just a day after Hamas’s attacks on October 7 in the south. Israeli special forces have been operating in southern Lebanon since January to help target Hezbollah terror threats. Until recently, though, Israel’s actions have primarily focused on Hamas in Gaza and its latest operation to neutralize Hamas’s remaining stronghold in the city of Rafah. The latest Hezbollah attack may change that reality.The Israeli government says the situation in the north is untenable and is working to return evacuees to their homes in the region. “It is up to Hezbollah to decide if this can be accomplished by diplomatic means or by force,” an Israeli government spokesman, David Mencer, told reporters.Although northern Israel was on fire, “the earth was burning in Lebanon too,” Mr. Netanyahu told the military brass. In response, over the past 24 hours, the IDF has targeted several Hezbollah compounds and rocket launch sites, Alma reports. In another sign of increasing tensions, the Israeli government is expected to raise the number of reservists for the Israel Defense Forces to 350,000 from 300,000, and the IDF is launching a new special forces unit, the Jerusalem Post reported today.

Prospects for Escalation of Mideast Conflict Seen Increasing Following Hezbollah Attack Injuring 11 Israelis

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