Hezbollah Is No Longer Deterred By The IDF

Hezbollah is no longer deterred by the IDF - analysis

ANNA AHRONHEIM 

As Hezbollah fired its largest rocket salvo toward Israel in 15 years last week, it became clear that the border with Lebanon has turned into another front where days, if not weeks, of conflict can erupt at any moment.

The rocket fire on Friday morning surprised the thousands of Israeli tourists who were enjoying a summer vacation by kayaking on the Jordan River or hiking the dozens of trails through the hills of the Galilee and the Golan Heights.

The clear blue skies were interrupted by rockets raining down and the Iron Dome missile-defense system intercepting them before they could do any harm.

The rocket fire came just days after three rockets were fired by unnamed Palestinian terrorists toward Kiryat Shmona. The IDF retaliated with three heavy rounds of artillery fire and then by airstrikes targeting the launch site and the road on which the terrorists had traveled.

Hezbollah was able to sit back and take more than100 artillery shells fired by the IDF in response to the rocket fire, the fifth such incident since May.

But striking the road was too much for Hezbollah.

Many of Hezbollah’s capabilities and infrastructure are intertwined with the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon. And though Israel refrained from striking Lebanese infrastructure during the Second Lebanon War, Israeli officials have warned repeatedly that civilian infrastructure is now a legitimate target for IAF strikes.

“What happened days ago was very dangerous and a development that did not happen for 15 years,” Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Saturday night, referring to the Israeli airstrikes. “It was necessary for the response to the Israeli airstrike to be quick or else it would have lost its value.” The rocket barrage “was aimed at consolidating the equation of deterrence,” he said.

And in the 15 years since the Second Lebanon War, both Israel and Hezbollah have significantly increased their capabilities, which would cause untold damage and significant casualties to both sides.

With the help of Iran, Hezbollah has rebuilt its arsenal since 2006, and it is now believed to have between 130,000 and 150,000 rockets and missiles. Many of them can reach deep into Israel, including ballistic missiles with a range of 700 kilometers.