On October 14, Israel killed 22 people in the northern Lebanese village of Aitou in an air attack. Israel claimed it struck a Hezbollah target but the attack on a predominantly Christian town has made many wonder if Israel is expanding its war to chase down Hezbollah members and mainly Shia Hezbollah supporters wherever they may have fled to.
The attack on Aitou harks back to Lebanon's 15-year civil war (1975-1990) when the country got dragged into the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and descended into multi-faceted fighting. Now, Israel's war ostensibly against Hezbollah is threatening to destabilise the entire country again as a pattern emerges.
Analysts believe this trend reflects a sinister motive of collectively punishing Hezbollah's Shia support base, psychologically tormenting the Lebanese populace and triggering sectarian violence.
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