Thousands of people have died so far in the war between Israel and Hamas.
The outside world fears that the situation could escalate and spread to other countries in the region.
In the spotlight right now: Terror-labeled Hezbollah – with a military capacity far superior to Hamas.
– The stakes are really high if there is a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, says Middle East expert Anders Persson.
At the border with Gaza, Israel has gathered large numbers of soldiers and military vehicles for what is expected to be a ground offensive. At the same time, Iran-backed Hezbollah threatens to open a second front from Lebanon if Israel makes the plans against Gaza a reality.
The Israeli Defense Force IDF believes that Hezbollah is already playing a “very dangerous game” through its attacks.
The tone is high and the situation can quickly change for the worse. Not least if a full-scale war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah.
But for Israel, in that case, an opponent awaits who is in many ways much more powerful than Hamas.
– Hezbollah is usually called the world’s strongest and most heavily armed non-state actor. It is an organization that is much, much stronger and more capable than Hamas. Among other things, they have approximately 150,000-170,000 rockets, says Middle East expert Anders Persson.
The expert: Not inconceivable that Israel attacks Iran
If the current conflict between Israel and Hezbollah turns into a war, not only will the region change at large – but it will also open the way for significantly larger global actors such as Iran, the United States and Russia to get involved.
– It is not inconceivable that Israel could attack Iran in such a situation and we currently have American aircraft carriers stationed in the eastern Mediterranean. In the long run, it also becomes a question of what Russia can conceivably do as they are closely allied with Iran. Also add China and we have at least a regional full-scale war with impacts on a global level, says Anders Persson.
Iran’s threat: Will respond to a ground invasion of Gaza
In recent weeks, it is estimated that at least 50 people have died in connection with attacks between Israel and Hezbollah. As a consequence of the insecurity in the area, several Israeli villages near the border area with Lebanon have been evacuated.
What awaits next is difficult to predict.
– Currently, most indications are that we are not heading in that direction with a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah. At the same time, Iran has drawn a red line in the sand and said that an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza will be answered by them. But it is unclear in what way and whether the threat will really be carried out, says Anders Persson.