The confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has intensified since the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hezbollah's ally Hamas erupted last October. The two sides have come close to full-scale war after a series of escalating violence recently.

Full-fledged escalation

Tension between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated since September 17, when communication equipment, including pagers and walkie-talkies, which are widely used by Hezbollah members, exploded in Lebanon. These explosions killed 40 people and injured more than 3,000. Although Israel did not comment, observers said it was clearly an attack on Hezbollah and others in the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel.

The Israeli army reported that on Thursday its air force attacked more than 1,600 targets in southern Lebanon and Beirut believed to be tied to Hezbollah, destroying many military structures and killing at least 3 Hezbollah senior commanders.

The airstrikes also killed nearly 700 Lebanese civilians, the highest one-day casualty total since the Lebanese civil war more than three decades ago. In response, Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets, unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles at Israeli targets. A Hezbollah ballistic missile reached the capital Tel-Aviv for the first time on Wednesday. Observers say the escalation has pushed the two sides to the brink of a full-scale war.

Khaldoun Barghouti, an expert on Israeli affairs, said escalating the tension is part of the Israeli leaders’ intention. "The escalation along the Lebanese border has led many Israelis, including the families of Israeli captives, to believe that the issue of the deal has been forgotten, with attention now shifting to Israel's northern front and the transfer of troops from Gaza to the north."

Andreas Krieg, a military analyst at King’s College London, said Israel wants to change the situation in the north by pushing Hezbollah forces away from the border so that its people in the north can come back home. But it’s a risky calculation, said Krieg.

Thin hope for diplomacy

The international community is urgently organizing diplomatic activities to defuse the situation. At the 79th United Nations General Assembly High-level Week in New York, the leaders of countries and organizations warned that a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah would lead to unimaginable consequences in the region, ensuring that the bloody conflict in Gaza will see no end and drawing  forces from other countries into the war.

“To all sides, let us say in one clear voice: stop the killing and destruction. Tone down the rhetoric and threats. Step back from the brink. An all-out war must be avoided at all costs. It would surely be an all-out catastrophe,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

The most notable diplomatic move so far was put forward by France and the United States on Wednesday, calling for a 21-day ceasefire to give time for diplomatic negotiations. Although it received broad support from many countries, it was not accepted by Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement on Thursday saying that the Israeli military will continue its all-out offensive against Hezbollah. Hezbollah has yet to respond to the proposal.

Analyst Krieg says the key to defusing the situation in Lebanon is to end the conflict in Gaza, because Hezbollah is unlikely to accept any proposal for negotiations or agreements with Israel as long as the Gaza conflict continues and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t make any concessions.