Jan 29, 2015

The situation in south Lebanon was calm, but with a touch of nervousness in the air the morning of Jan. 28, when six missiles broke the silence. Everyone had been waiting for this moment to arrive. Ten days of waiting had come to an end for Israel, as Hezbollah exacted revenge for the Jan. 18 missile strike near Quneitra, in the Golan Heights, in which commanders and an Iranian general were killed.

Thus, south Lebanon became a war zone, the whole area shaking as shells rained down on the valleys and the surrounding mountains. It was a one-sided war, as Hezbollah had already completed its mission: a strike on two Israeli military vehicles, killing at least two soldiers and wounding seven. People on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border are left wondering where events were headed.

A shell fired by Israel hit a UN base at al-Abbasieh, a mere kilometer from the border with Israel, killing a Spanish soldier. The Spanish contingent in the area evacuated their base for a few hours. Lebanese soldiers prevented Al-Monitor from getting very close, but the damage caused by the Israeli bombardment was visible.

A Lebanese officer told Al-Monitor that the situation was serious, saying, “We are observing it and will see how things are going to develop, but at this moment it is not easy to predict if there’ll be an escalation.” He added, “We believe both parties have no interest in taking things further.”

The UN peacekeeping force and the Lebanese army were more observers than players, as has been the case in the area for years. They have no power or authority to impose on the warring parties. The most they can do is count the shells falling on either side of the border and violations of the Blue Line and follow them up with expressions of concern.