Israel escalates ground war against Hezbollah

Israel is stepping up its ground war in Lebanon to neutralize the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah, following a vow of retaliation after a massive ballistic missile attack from Iran on Tuesday (local time). Israel, which sent ground troops across the Lebanese border on Monday, began full-scale engagement with Hezbollah on Wednesday while continuing to conduct airstrikes in Lebanon, including in the capital, Beirut.

The ground war in Lebanon is intensifying, and at least eight Israeli soldiers have been killed, the Times of Israel reported. This is the highest number of Israeli soldiers killed in clashes with Hezbollah since the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas broke out on October 7 of last year. The New York Times (NYT) also noted that “the Israeli military has suffered an unusually high casualty rate since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas last year.”

Israel, meanwhile, is expected to target oil facilities in retaliation against Iran. An attack on Iran's oil facilities would exacerbate Iran's economic woes, which are already severely strained by longstanding Western sanctions. Some observers have suggested that Israel could target Iran's nuclear facilities. U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed concern about Israeli retaliation, stating that Israel has the right to respond, but it should not attack Iran's nuclear facilities.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com