New Delhi, March 7 -- The border between Israel and Lebanon bears the scars of its most recent war. On the Lebanese side, the village of Mais al-Jabal-used by Hizbullah, an Iran-backed militia, to launch many of its attacks-is now empty, with many buildings destroyed by the Israel Defence Force (idf). On the Israeli side, many of the north-facing homes on the small kibbutz of Manara are pockmarked and scorched, with marks left by Hizbullah's missiles. Most of the residents in Manara and other Israeli border communities have returned home over the past year. Now a new conflict, triggered by America's and Israel's war in Iran, is brewing in Lebanon.

Hizbullah has already joined one war against Israel. In October 2023 it began firing on the...