DECODING THE AFTERMATH OF THE HEZBOLLAH-ISRAEL ESCALATION
The MED This Week newsletter provides informed insights on the most significant developments in the MENA region, bringing together unique opinions and reliable foresight on future scenarios. Today, we shed light on the events of 25 August and the ongoing tit-for-tat between Israel and Hezbollah.
On Sunday, 25 August, Israel and Hezbollah engaged in one of the most intense exchanges of fire of the past ten months. According to the Lebanese Shia group, the attack was the long-anticipated retaliation for the assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior member of Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli-targeted strike in Beirut on 30 July. While both sides hailed these military operations as a success and declared their intention not to go further, fears of a regional escalation remain. The possibility of further attacks from Iran and the Houthis looms in the background. The modality and extent of Tehran’s often-threatened response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh on 31 July remain uncertain, exposing the region to a potential broader conflict that could even involve the US. Yemen’s Houthis have also asserted their readiness to retaliate against Israel for the strikes on Hodeida on 20 July, with the risk of further worsening Yemen’s already critical economic and political situation. Against this gloomy backdrop, mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and the US are racing against the clock to broker an agreement between Israel and Hamas. Although Sunday’s clashes seem to have not affected the negotiations, the gap between the two parties is still wide, with the chances of success shrinking by the day.
Experts from the ISPI network discuss the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah and the risk of further regional instability.
