"Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, feels that he's the new guy on the block. And here's Hamas and Hezbollah testing him. And he wants to demonstrate to a skeptical Israeli public that he's worthy of being Ariel Sharon's successor," says Makovsky.
As the Gaza operation continues, Hezbollah's kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers added a multinational dimension to the conflict. Israel has launched a number of airstrikes against targets in Lebanon, including Beirut's airport and buildings connected to Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Henry Siegman at the Council on Foreign Relations says Hezbollah clearly is assisted by regional states hostile to Israel. "Of course, there are other forces here - - particularly Iran. There has been a suggestion that Syria is implicated as well. Both Iran and Syria have made it possible for Hezbollah to arm itself and to establish those installations they have along the border [between Lebanon and Israel]," says Siegman.