A war between Hezbollah and Israel ‘in Iran’s interests’

Israeli security official tells Jewish News that Iran ordered Hezbollah to provoke Israel on its northern border, thereby pushing Tehran's conflict with Israel far away from home

By Jotam Confino in Israel 2 August 2023, 11:14 am
An Israeli army Merkava tanks seen in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on June 24, 2020. on July 27, 2020. Photo by: Gil Eliyahu-JINIPIX

Increasing provocation by Hezbollah on Lebanon’s border with Israel is part of Iran’s strategy to push its conflict with Israel as far away as possible from its own borders, an Israeli security official has told Jewish News. 

Hezbollah operatives have attempted to breach and damage Israel’s border fence with Lebanon in recent months, while the organisation set up two tents on Israeli territory in the contested Mount Dov region/Shebaa Farms, bringing the IDF on high alert.

While one tent has been removed, the other still remains in Israeli territory, causing Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah to warn Israel not to touch it.

According to the Israeli security official, the tents mark a “red line” for Israel by breaching its territory. Israel has asked the UN to help remove the tent, in order not to “escalate” the situation. But if that fails, “we will do it ourselves,” the official said.

This picture taken on December 4, 2018 from the Israeli Kibutz of Misgav Am, shows Israeli machinery operating near the border wall with Lebanon, with buildings in the Lebanese town of Kfar Kila seen in the background. – Israel’s army said on December 4 it had detected Hezbollah “attack tunnels” infiltrating its territory from Lebanon and had launched an operation called “Northern Shield” to destroy them, a move likely to raise tensions with the Iran-backed group. Photo by: JINIPIX

Israel’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi commented on the issue of the tent on Monday, calling it a “children’s game” but that Hezbollah’s provocative actions in recent months illustrate a “weakening in the policy of self-restraint” which was put in place by the organisation after its war with Israel in 2006.

“Hezbollah has two major interests in provoking Israel. The internal chaos in Lebanon gives Hezbollah a reason to show that it’s in charge. Nasrallah wants to be seen as the leading character in Lebanon, which he is. A way of showing that is to provoke Israel and get away with it, from his perspective,” the official said.

According to the official, Iran wants to push the conflict with Israel “as far away as possible from home.”

Tehran has therefore given an order to Hezbollah to “provoke and annoy Israel” on its northern border.

“Iran is not interested in a war with Israel but it doesn’t care about the Lebanese. It’s actually in Iran’s interest if Israel starts a war with Hezbollah,” the official said.

The IDF doesn’t believe that Hezbollah is interested in a war, but security experts in Israel have warned that miscalculations can lead to an unwanted military confrontation.

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