Recent polling suggests that after 11 months of witnessing the conflict of Gaza, the people of Lebanon – despite being generally hostile towards Hezbollah which has implanted itself in their country as both a political and military state within a state – are increasingly supportive of Hezbollah’s regional policies.

The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as the movement’s leader accused Israel of “crossing all of the red lines”, heightening fears of an escalation into a full-blown regional war.