JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Misgav Am is surrounded on three out of four sides by Lebanese terrain. It is a community situated in a kind of Israeli enclave within Lebanon, with most of it encircled by the border fence.

Hezbollah is currently waging, much like Iran, a “war of the poor,” aiming to create pressure on the Israeli home front. Hezbollah understands that Israel has decided to move the fighting into Lebanese territory, rather than evacuate the frontline northern communities as it did on October 8, 2023. The Israeli government’s decision on this matter is correct.

However, the IDF’s forward defense is not achieving the desired results. Hezbollah is now focusing a significant portion of its fire on communities along the border fence, from Rosh HaNikra to the village of Ghajar in the east.

This morning, under the cover of fog and wintry weather, Hezbollah infiltrated the area of “Rab Talatin” near the border with several mortar and anti-tank squads, and since the morning has turned Misgav Am into a primary target. The result is severe, with one person killed, another injured, and heavy damage to property. It is likely that this effort will continue and even expand to additional communities, with the goal of undermining the resilience of the frontline settlements.

Dramatic clip from northern community shows civilian unwittingly filming moment of impact of anti-tank missile

A similar approach is being carried out by Iran in recent days. It understands that it does not truly have the capability to match the firepower of the United States and the Israeli Air Force. It also recognizes its limitations in producing large volumes of launches toward Israel or American bases in the region. Like Hezbollah, it is waging a “war of the poor,” carrying out sporadic missile fire toward various areas across Israel, often using missiles with cluster warheads. But yesterday, Iran once again launched missiles with heavy warheads, weighing about half a ton of explosives, toward Dimona and Arad. The Iranian move is intended to harass and wear down the Israeli public.

The major problem now is that the actions of Iran and Hezbollah may actually be working in their favor. Their understanding that they could draw Israel into a prolonged war of attrition which may erode the resilience of the Israeli home front.

Israel must make a decision, at least regarding the north: namely, to increase the intensity of IDF fire in Lebanon, alongside clearly defining the campaign’s objectives and metrics. Otherwise, sooner or later, the northern communities adjacent to the border may become deserted, and this is an image Israel does not want to project, neither to Hezbollah nor to Iran.