Israel trying to force Hezbollah to ‘come back to the de facto truce’

The Australian Foreign Editor Greg Sheridan believes Israel is trying to “degrade” Hezbollah and force them to “come back to the de facto truce”. At least 492 people have been killed after Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon in what is being called the deadliest day in the country since 2006. Around 1,300 targets have been struck, with Israel accusing them of housing Hezbollah weapons. “I think Israel is trying to do a couple of things,” Mr Sheridan told Sky News Australia. “I think it’s trying to degrade Hezbollah; it’s trying to convince other Lebanese to put pressure on Hezbollah to stand down; and it’s trying to get Hezbollah to at least come back to the de facto truce that often leads to years of relative stability on the Israel-Lebanon border.”