Israel and Lebanon's tense frontier, explained


After a flurry of developments - let's take a step back. While it may seem as though Israel's shelling of Lebanon has come out of the blue, the neighbours have long shared a tense border.

In fact, both countries have remained in a formal state of war since the Arab-Israeli conflict of 1948-49.

It is one of the region's tensest frontiers, where Israel forces face those of the Lebanese army and Hezbollah, and peacekeepers attempt to maintain calm.

Hezbollah, which is heavily armed and funded by Israel's arch-foe Iran, is the most powerful armed force in Lebanon alongside the Lebanese army. It operates predominantly in the south and along with its political allies is an influential force in the government.

In 2006, Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war that killed some 1,190 Lebanese and 163 Israelis. The conflict ended in a UN-brokered ceasefire.

Rockets have been fired several times from southern Lebanon into northern Israel over the past 10 days, with the previous such attack reported on Monday.

None of the rockets caused any damage, and Israel's military said most of the projectiles were either intercepted or landed in uninhabited areas.




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