Why the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire hasn’t actually stopped the firing
The killing of Haytham Ali Tabatabai is a blow to Hezbollah and also a warning that, a year after the ceasefire came into effect, it is now under huge strain.
Israel does not believe that either Lebanon or Hezbollah have lived up to the promises made, and that far from disarming, Hezbollah is now building up its resources once more.
Tabatabai, they claim, was the person responsible for leading that rearmament.
For its part, Lebanon insists there is a viable disarmament mechanism in place that Israel is ignoring.
This attack, it insists, is proof that Israel doesn’t care about the rules.
It’s worth reiterating that Hezbollah – which Britain, America and others consider a terrorist organisation – does not run Lebanon.
It does, however, wield considerable power in the Lebanese parliament and across the country, particularly in the south, where Lebanon borders Israel.
And Hezbollah’s military strength is bolstered by the support of Iran.
So what happens next? If Israel believes that Hezbollah is rearming, and that its residents in the north face a renewed threat, it will inevitably launch further reprisals.
Hezbollah, too, may feel obliged to respond, either with rockets fired into Israel or by targeting overseas sites that are linked to either Israel or Judaism.
As in Gaza, there is a ceasefire in place, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the firing stops.
And as long as the United States will tolerate Israel’s actions, then Benjamin Netanyahu will feel at liberty to continue.
This story originally appeared on Skynews
