Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youths
Any major spillover in the fighting, which began in parallel with the war in Gaza, risks morphing into a regional conflagration drawing in Hezbollah’s backer Iran and Israel’s main ally the United States.
With three deaths confirmed in Lebanon and one in Israel, both sides indicated they were happy to avoid further escalation for now, but warned that there could be more strikes to come.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the Iranian-backed group’s barrage, a reprisal for the assassination of senior commander Fuad Shukr last month, had been completed « as planned ».
However, the group would assess the impact of its strikes and « if the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time », he said.
Israel’s foreign minister said the country did not seek a full-scale war, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: « This is not the end of the story. »
Earlier, Netanyahu had said: « We are determined to do everything we can to defend our country . whoever harms us – we harm him ».
The two sides have exchanged messages that neither wants to escalate further, with the main gist being that the exchange was « done », two diplomats told Reuters.
Expectations of an escalation had risen since a missile strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights last month killed 12 youths and the Israeli military assassinated Shukr in Beirut in response.
Hezbollah had delayed its retaliation to give time for ceasefire talks, and had calibrated its attack to avoid triggering a full-scale war, a Hezbollah official said.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the presence of two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East, bolstering the US military presence.
