Israeli forces have been exchanging fire for months with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon but both sides have appeared to be avoiding an escalation that could lead to an all-out war, potentially dragging in other powers including the United States and Iran.

‘CATASTROPHE BEYOND BELIEF’

However, Saturday’s strike threatened to tip the standoff into a more dangerous phase and United Nations officials urged maximum restraint from both sides, warning that further escalation “could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief.”

An Israeli military spokesperson had earlier told reporters that forensics showed the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1. Hezbollah had announced firing a Falaq-1 missile on July 28, saying it had aimed at an Israeli military headquarters.

The Lebanese government has asked the U.S to urge restraint from Israel, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told Reuters. Mr. Bou Habib said the U.S. had asked Lebanon’s government to pass on a message to Hezbollah to show restraint as well.

Iran’s foreign ministry warned Israel on July 28 against what it called any new adventure in Lebanon. However, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, visiting the site of the strike, said “We will hit the enemy hard.”

Syria’s foreign ministry said it held Israel “fully responsible for this dangerous escalation in the region” and said its accusations against Hezbollah were false.

A statement from the White House said U.S. support for Israel’s security was iron-clad and that it would “continue to support efforts to end these terrible attacks along the Blue Line, which must be a top priority”. The Blue Line refers to the frontier between Lebanon and Israel.

A senior diplomat focused on Lebanon said all efforts were now needed to avoid an all-out war.

The conflict has forced tens of thousands of people in both Lebanon and Israel to leave their homes. Israeli strikes have killed some 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists.

The Israeli military said after Saturday’s attack the death toll among civilians killed in Hezbollah attacks had risen to 23 since October 2023, along with at least 17 soldiers.

Hezbollah is the most powerful of a network of Iran-backed groups across the Middle East and started opening a second front against Israel shortly after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.

Iraqi groups and the Houthis of Yemen have both fired at Israel, which earlier this month attacked the Red Sea port of Hodeidah in retaliation for a strike on Tel Aviv that killed one person. Hamas has also carried out rocket attacks on Israel from Lebanon, as has the Lebanese Sunni group, the Jama’a Islamiya.

Druze communities live on both sides of the line between southern Lebanon and northern Israel as well as in the Golan Heights and Syria. While some serve in the Israeli military and identify with Israel, many feel marginalized in Israel and some also reject Israeli citizenship.