What’s new:

A source close to Hamas has claimed that, following the ‘Guardian of the Walls’ campaign led by Israel, they reached an agreement with Hezbollah to execute a comprehensive ground invasion. Nevertheless, Hezbollah reduced their engagement to a symbolic participation after the surprise attack on October 7 due to increased American military backing for Israel.

Why it matters:

The engagement in a tactically aligned and unified front in anti-Israel operations represents a significant escalation and presents a substantial threat to Israeli security. Hezbollah’s reported decision to limit its involvement suggests an awareness of the weight of U.S. support for Israel and an aversion to a potentially devastating military response. However, it also underscores regional complexities and internal hesitations of involved parties to confront Israel directly.

Be smart:

According to Hamas sources, there was a plan to exploit purported “gaps in Israeli security”; terrorists aimed to infiltrate from both northern and southern fronts, conducting ground offenses as well as missile attacks. Hamas intended to force Israel to relinquish control to the 1967 lines, including East Jerusalem, with a multi-front strategy including personnel from Syria and precision Hezbollah missile strikes against essential Israeli infrastructure.

What we’re watching:

Hezbollah was reportedly unsettled by the timing of Hamas’s October 7 attack, which spurred them to adopt a conservative stance until reassessments could be made. As the United States dispatched additional naval power to the region, Hezbollah opted for a constrained involvement rather than risk extensive confrontation. Since then, Hezbollah has supposedly engaged in minor skirmishes—not the full-scale invasion that was concerted with Hamas.

The bottom line:

While there was significant potential for a larger conflict, the repercussions of immediate American support for Israel appear to have drastically influenced Hezbollah’s actions, constricting their contribution to the conflict largely to symbolic resistance and limited engagements along the Lebanese-Israeli border.

This story was first published on ynetnews.com.