Fear of war between Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah grows after Israeli strike kills commander in Lebanon

Tel Aviv — Fear of a possible full-scale war between Israel and the allied militant group Hamas Hezbollah in Lebanon became emotional on Thursday after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior Hezbollah commander.

Israel said the commander it killed Wednesday, Mohammad Naameh Nasser, was responsible for firing rockets at Israel. Hezbollah, a group that, like Hamas, is backed by Iran but is believed to be larger and far better armed, responded with another rocket barrage.

Hezbollah has increased its attacks since Israel, which shares its northern border with Lebanon, launched the war in Gaza in response to the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7. Hezbollah has said it will not stop firing rockets at Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said they intercepted drones and other projectiles fired from southern Lebanon on Thursday and that some of the debris that fell caused fires on the ground. The army did not report any casualties, but said it was responding to Hezbollah fire by “hitting launch sites in southern Lebanon.”

The increased exchange of fire across the border has been deadly. The Lebanese Health Ministry reported at least 435 deaths on this side of the border as of June 26. About 90 of those killed by the Israeli bombings have been civilians, according to the Al Jazeera network.

In Israel, at least 27 people have been killed by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks since October, including 10 civilians, according to earlier statements by Israeli authorities.

The clashes have also sparked an exodus, forcing tens of thousands of people in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon to flee their homes across the border region.

Israel and Hezbollah fought a bloody war in 2006, and the US government has expressed concern faced with the prospect of a large-scale war that it could provoke Iran's proxy groups throughout the region to target US forces based in neighboring countries. They have already done so a few times since October, including a drone attack on a US base in Jordan killed three American soldiers in January

The Biden administration has been working with both public diplomacy and behind closed doors to try to prevent this from happening.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday that his country would prefer a diplomatic solution, but “if reality forces us, we will know how to fight.”