Large Israeli Airstrikes On Southern Lebanon, US Warplanes Hit Iraq-Syria Border In Escalation

The situation on Israel's northern border has become increasingly volatile and the IDF has been ramping up airstrikes not only on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, but in Syria as well.

This continued over the weekend into Sunday, after recent days of a series of attacks on Syria, which in one instance reportedly killed a group of high-ranking Iranian IRGC officers at Damascus international airport. Often Israeli warplanes use Lebanese airspace to attack near Damascus and in southern Syria.

The IDF announced it hit targets in the Lebanese village of Ramyeh on Sunday morning, which included military buildings, according to the statement.

Israel alleged that Hezbollah "operates from the area of ​​the village, which is used as a terror center for the group to observe and carry out terror acts."

The IDF said further the Iran-backed militant group launched missiles from Ramyeh, while "exploiting the civilian population in the village area and using it as a human shield."

On Saturday, The Wall Street Journal documented of the heightened tit-for-tat in Israel's north:

The Israeli military said it returned fire following a strike from Syria overnight and launched extensive strikes against the militant Hezbollah movement in Lebanon amid a rise in hostilities with Iranian-backed militia groups across the region.

An increase in tensions among Israel, Iran and its militant allies throughout the Middle East is raising concerns about the opening of a second front in the nearly three-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The conflict also threatens to expand even further east, given over the weekend there were reports of major aerial attacks on pro-Iran militant positions along the Iraq-Syria border.

The Sunday morning IDF airstrikes on Lebanon appeared very large in scale...

There are conflicting reports as to whether it was the Americans or Israelis behind the attack on Al-Bukamal, but the Pentagon has long been known to occasionally go after targets there, especially after rocket and drone attacks on US bases in Syria and the region.

According to a Mideast-based outlet:

An aerial attack on Syria's eastern sector near the Iraqi border in the early hours of December 30 resulted in the killing of at least seven people, Al-Mayadeen reported.

The air raids targeted the city of Al-Bukamal in the Deir Ezzor countryside, striking the al-Hajana building and Badr Hospital in the southern part of the city. 

The Lebanon-based outlet implied the possibility that the attacks were carried out by Israel, as the Israeli army said it carried out strikes in retaliation to a rocket volley that allegedly was fired from Syrian territory targeting the occupied Golan Heights on Friday evening.  

The report added, "However, Sham FM and Safa (Palestinian Press Agency), as well as local Iraqi sources, said that the attack was carried out by US warplanes."

The Gaza War has already begun spilling over into the Red Sea region where Iran-backed Houthis and US warships are trading fire. And there are continuing fears the conflict could spiral out of control in Lebanon too if Hezbollah and Israel open a full war front. Already it seems they are on the cusp of a bigger fight, which could spread to Syria and into Iraq, setting the whole region on fire.