No clear winner if Hezbollah and Israel escalate to ground war

Mourners carry the coffin of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil, who died in an Israeli strike, during the funeral procession in Beirut, Lebanon. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPA

So serious were the exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah this weekend, it is hard to be sure that the two sides have not already crossed the threshold of “all-out” war.

Israel’s air force said it had struck 290 targets in southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing at least three. Hezbollah responded by launching 150 missiles, rockets and drones into Israel overnight, the deepest attack since violent hostilities broke out when the Iran-aligned group began launching rocket attacks in support of Hamas after 7 October.