TEL AVIV - As the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza continues to intensify, escalating strikes and counterstrikes along the border with Lebanon are raising concerns of a possible new front for Israel. Iranian-backed groups, including Hezbollah, have been launching attacks against Israeli and U.S. assets across the Middle East, heightening tensions in the region.

Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has been launching numerous rocket and drone attacks on Israel this week, targeting various locations including a Greek Orthodox church, resulting in the injury of two Israeli Christians. Recent incidents also include drones targeting the Egyptian city of Dahab in the Sinai Peninsula, an explosion outside the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi, India, and an airstrike in Damascus, Syria, which claimed the life of a senior officer in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"We are now at a fork in the road," said Eylon Levy, spokesman for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Levy emphasized that Hezbollah must adhere to U.N. Resolution 1701, which calls for the group to withdraw from the Israeli border, or face Israeli intervention. Levy added, "Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons are dragging Lebanon into an unnecessary war that Hamas initiated. Our region cannot afford a broader conflict."

Israel has been facing attacks on multiple fronts, including Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Iran. While reports suggest that Israel has not yet taken action in Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been launching missiles, disruptions to international shipping routes have already occurred.

The activity of Iranian-supported militants in Lebanon and other regions has intensified since the rampage by Hamas on October 7th, which claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people and resulted in the taking of 240 hostages. The goal of Hamas was to provoke a regional conflict in order to draw attention back to the Palestinian cause.

While Israel's military struck back at Gaza and declared its mission to destroy Hamas, Hezbollah initially refrained from joining the fight. The Israeli military found this puzzling, and experts are now trying to assess the parameters of the widening conflict.

Both Israel and Lebanon have witnessed significant displacements due to the growing tensions. Over 70,000 people have been evacuated from Israel's northern border, while in Lebanon, 120,000 people have fled their homes.

As operations in Gaza expand, Israel Defense Forces have targeted around 200 military sites in the region, including densely populated neighborhoods. The death toll among Palestinians since the beginning of the conflict on October 7th has surpassed 21,100, with Hamas claiming that the majority of the casualties are women and children. The IDF estimates that around 8,000 combatants have been killed, while 164 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives.

The possibility of a conflict with Lebanon adds further concern to the already devastating situation. Hezbollah, known for its well-equipped and trained forces, possesses an estimated arsenal of 150,000 missiles.

Efforts are underway to halt the Gaza campaign. Egypt and Qatar have proposed deals that could lead to a pause or end to the conflict, potentially in exchange for the release of the remaining hostages. Jordan's King Abdullah II and his foreign minister have arrived in Cairo to discuss proposals for reinstating regional security and establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

The ultimate goal for those affected by the conflict, such as Sigal Vishnetzer from Israel's Manara kibbutz, is the restoration of security and the return of residents to their homes. Although the length of the conflict remains uncertain, Vishnetzer hopes that it will be resolved within months rather than years.