Israel Fights Hezbollah Drones and Rockets from the Lebanese Border
Israel's northern border with Lebanon is a constant tension zone, where Hezbollah daily shells Jewish villages with drones and rockets. The conflict is closely linked to Iran, which funds Hezbollah, and Israel sees regime change in Tehran as the key to stability.
In northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, regular attacks occur. The terrorist group Hezbollah, operating from Lebanese territory, fires an average of three to four rockets or drones daily at Israeli villages. Unlike in Ukraine, where drones take hours to reach their targets, a drone from Lebanon reaches Israeli settlements in under a minute, leaving residents very little time to reach shelters.
Hezbollah has at least 5,000 fighters and uses civilian buildings in Lebanese border villages to store weapons and establish support points. While some residents support the group, many are forced to comply with armed men. The Lebanese army cannot fight Hezbollah because it is legally represented in parliament and government, and the army has many sympathizers. Therefore, Israel must conduct counterterrorism operations itself, which often cause civilian casualties and international criticism. However, Israel also suffers losses – during a journalists' visit, four soldiers were killed in one day.
Israel considers Iran its main enemy, as it funds both Hezbollah and Hamas. Israelis fear Iran obtaining nuclear weapons could lead to their country's destruction. Hence, Israel supported the US military campaign against Iran, hoping for regime change in Tehran. But even that would not resolve the deep hatred many Palestinians feel toward Jews. In the Gaza Strip, at least a third of the population supports Hamas, and hatred grows with every retaliatory strike. Israeli experts cite Germany's denazification as a possible model, but full control over Palestinian territories is not possible. Despite constant threats, Israelis have adapted to living under conflict conditions.
