Since the creation of the state of Israel, relations between it and Lebanon have been rocky at the best of times and involved war and occupation at the worst. So far, their biggest conflict in the 21st century was the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a Shia political organization backed by Iran with a well-armed militant wing that has been designated a terrorist group by the Western world and its allies. After the war, relations have slowly improved, and in 2022 they reached a “historic” agreement on their disputed maritime border. Just one year later, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war has eroded progress and has many fearful of another Israel-Hezbollah war, especially given Hezbollah’s deputy chief saying they were “fully ready” and “when the time comes for any action, we will carry it out”.
Image by Lisi Niesner from Reuters
Sources:
https://nowlebanon.com/lebanese-fear-escalation-of-israel-hamas-war
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/11/israel-lebanon-agree-on-draft-deal-on-maritime-borders
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/13/world/israel-lebanon-journalists-attacked-intl/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/middleeast/israel-lebanon-border-fighters-quiet-intl/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hezbollah-says-when-time-comes-any-action-we-will-carry-it-out-2023-10-13