During the ongoing, relentless month long bombardment of the Gaza Strip, attention toward the Syrian and Lebanese fronts with Israel has diminished.
However, intermittent episodes of irregular fighting and isolated missile strikes conceal a deeper, escalating “shadow war.”
On Wednesday, Lebanese news agencies reported that the Israeli military targeted several Lebanese towns and villages near the border with occupied Palestine.
“Early Wednesday morning, the Israeli forces launched heavy artillery shelling in the vicinity of Naqoura, Tayr Harfa, and al-Khiyam towns. Since Tuesday evening, there has been an escalation in bombings near Naqoura, Jabal al-Labouneh, Alma al-Shaab, and other towns,” reported the Lebanese National News Agency.
Furthermore, the Israeli aircrafta persistently patrolled the region’s airspace, extending their presence to the coastal areas and the al-Litani River.
On Israel’s eastern front, Syria — frequently targeted by Israeli airstrikes — has experienced increased fighting near the border and around US bases.
The U.S. military has conducted three rounds of airstrikes in Syria since the Gaza conflict began and for the fourth time in a month, Israel has rendered Damascus and Aleppo international airports inoperative through heavy air raids.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, Syrian airports, military installments have faced continuous onslaughts, severely impacting the country’s aviation industry due to repeated direct bombings of the runways. Many Syrian army personnel and civilians have lost their lives too during the aerial bombing.