While Hizballah was not a party to the Gaza ceasefire, it announced that it would abide by it, and so it did. When the truce ended on Friday, Hizballah too resumed its attacks on northern Israel. The IDF reportedly conducted airstrikes near Damascus the next day, killing two high-ranking Iranian officers. On Sunday Hizballah fired an anti-tank missile at the town of Beit Hillel, injuring twelve, prompting further Israeli airstrikes.
Yossi Mansharof tries to make sense of Hizballah’s intentions, and those of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Hizballah’s conduct reflects an attempt to “walk a tightrope.” It conducts relatively limited attacks in the north, restricting rocket strikes up to the Safed–Mount Meron area and enabling Hamas to strike the sensitive area of Haifa Bay. Recently, it has expanded its arsenal in the conflict to include explosive-laden drones and short-range, heavy-warhead Burkan missiles. Hizballah also enables Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to conduct infiltration attacks and missile launches against the northern region of Israel. Hizballah is aware of the psychological impact of Israel evacuating communities from the north, which, until now, has been limited in scope. The group appears to be attempting to compel Israel to expand these evacuations, thereby maximizing its achievements.
Outside of Israel, the Mossad thwarted a terror attack against Israeli and Jewish targets in Brazil. For this task, Nasrallah most likely dispatched Talal Hamiyah, the head of Unit 910 (responsible for Hizballah’s overseas attacks), to carry out this terrorist plot. It can be assumed that Hamiyah received assistance from Hizballah’s extensive infrastructure in Brazil, given the presence of a sizable Lebanese Shiite community there. Nasrallah likely believed that Hizballah could commit terror plots in that region without leaving a trace.
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