I interpret the Israeli response as a marker that does not aim at further escalation, says Anders Persson, Middle East expert and associate professor of political science at Linnaeus University, to TT.
The Israeli attack on a building in a suburb of Beirut on Tuesday evening does not seem to have caused any major destruction, according to the first reports.
Two people are reported to have been killed in the attack, according to source information.
It is still unclear whether the Hezbollah commander that Israel claims to have targeted is among them.
Delicate Balance
The pressure has been high from the hawks in Israel's government to deliver a comprehensive response to the weekend's attack on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, when twelve children were killed. At the same time, there has been great concern in the international community about an escalation that risks leading to a major war in the region.
In that situation, Israel's leadership took its time to formulate its response.
It has taken a few days, and by all accounts, it's about a limited attack on a clear military target, notes Anders Persson.
The purpose is to give Hezbollah a way out, a chance not to have to escalate the conflict.
If, however, it turns out that more civilians were killed in the attack, the pressure on Hezbollah to respond in kind will increase.
Uncertain Situation
The situation going forward also depends on whether Tuesday's attack really turns out to be the final response from Israel for this time.
At present, it at least looks like they are satisfied with this, says Anders Persson.
The situation can, however, change if, for example, it turns out that Fuad Shukar, the Hezbollah commander that Israel claims to have targeted, survived.
If he was not in the building and suddenly shows up somewhere else, it would not look good for Israel, says Anders Persson.
It was on Saturday that a rocket hit a football field in Majdal Shams on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. Hezbollah has denied being behind the attack, but has stated that it carried out attacks on Israeli military targets the same day.
