Satellite images from early June have shown 64 destroyed sites in the South Lebanon village of Aita al-Shaab, with several of the sites containing more than one building.At a time when escalation has prompted growing concern of another all out war with Israel, the region is being watched carefully.
Before: A satellite image shows a side by side comparison before and after months of bombing of the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with Israel.. . After: .. .A satellite image shows a side by side comparison before and after months of bombing of the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, near the border with Israel. / .
But a full-blown war between Hezbollah and Israel wouldn't be in the interest of either side, despite a bit of "huffing and puffing", Ian Parmeter, at Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australian National University told the ABC. During a recent visit to Washington, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that its military was capable of taking Lebanon "back to the Stone Age" in any war with Hezbollah.Mr Paremeter said this type of threat if implemented would have international repercussions."If they do exactly the same thing in Lebanon, there will be a lot of criticism because there will be a lot of civilian deaths in doing so, so Israel won't be doing its own image any good," he said.
A source familiar with Hezbollah's operations said the village had played a strategic role in 2006 and would do so again in any new war. The source did not give more details of the group's activities there.Hezbollah fighters held out in the village for the entire 2006 war. An Israeli-government appointed inquiry found that Israeli forces failed to capture it as ordered, despite encircling the village and dealing a serious blow to Hezbollah.