CNN talks about moderate optimism among international analysts – for now – while Sky News puts the factor of Hamas which may have been disappointed as it might have expected generalization from Hezbollah
Moderate optimism appears to prevail in the international community on the developments in the Middle East after Hezbollah's attack on Israel, which, however, as can be seen from the speech of the organization's leader, did not aim to inflict blows, but only to be a demonstration of power.
Specifically, as CNN writes in its analysis, Hezbollah claimed that the attack was aimed at defeating Israel's air defense systems and hitting military positions in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said all Hezbollah drones had been intercepted.
Hassan Nasrallah's statements in his televised address also followed suit, clarifying that he targeted a military base, avoiding infrastructure.
Israeli officials reported that Israel carried out pre-emptive strikes against Hezbollah targets during of the night, in order to prevent a wider attack. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, three people were killed in these attacks, without distinguishing between civilians and militants.
Sunday morning's cross-border attack marked a major escalation after 11 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. However, fears of a wider war appear to have subsided, at least for now.
This marks a return to low-intensity cross-border conflicts. It also appears to mark the end of the expected escalation from Lebanon that has once again brought the Middle East to the brink of all-out war. Hezbollah said this was the “first phase” of its response, without detailing its next steps.
Although the threat from Hezbollah appears to have largely subsided, Israel must remain alert to another threat: Iran's vow of revenge for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya in Tehran, which it blamed Israel.
As the region remains on a tightrope after the attacks in Beirut and Tehran late last month, Western and Israeli intelligence officials, diplomats and analysts are scrambling to predict what retaliation promised by Iran and its most powerful non-state partner might include.
Sky News Analysis
At the same time, British Sky News with analysis by Alistair Bunkall, Middle East Correspondent, refers to the speech by the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, in which he stated that his team targeted military targets and avoided civilian areas.
As he notes, Hezbollah's response this morning was carefully calculated to avoid further escalation, while adding “imagine if they had targeted civilian areas and there were many civilian deaths or severe damage. This would have put Israel in a position where it would feel compelled to respond much harder and faster. That didn't happen.
The Hamas factor
However according to Sky News, there is a third player that we must not forget, Hamas, particularly Yahya Shinwar in Gaza . “If Sinwar was hoping that Hezbollah would start a war with Israel, then he will probably be a little disappointed by the latest developments.” fighting in Gaza and a truce looking “unlikely”, Hezbollah has said it will “continue to fire rockets into Israel”.
“There is still the assumption that at some point Israel, if diplomacy does not work&# 8230; will be forced to face the issue, which may mean an invasion of southern Lebanon.”
