The Washington Post newspaper indicated that the conflict that broke out along the Lebanese-Israeli border in conjunction with Israel's war on Gaza has become something of a routine, as every day over the past six weeks, Israel has attacked Lebanon and Hezbollah has attacked Israel, a pattern that has started as a revenge tactic and has now turned into a continuous exchange of fire.

According to intelligence reports, the strikes are between 4 and 5 miles from the border on both sides, a deliberate calibration aimed at containing the violence and avoiding a far more destructive war.

But the scope and intensity of the fighting is gradually increasing, according to experts, with Saturday seeing Israeli planes strike an aluminum factory in the Lebanese town of Nabatieh, 12 miles north of the border — beyond the traditional zone where both sides consider retaliatory fire acceptable.

According to the newspaper, both sides have begun using more lethal weapons, “as Israel now regularly sends fighter planes to strike Hezbollah targets; Hezbollah deploys drones and heavy-caliber missiles. It announced on Saturday that it had shot down an Israeli drone, which it denied.” Israel also responded later in the day by targeting what it described as an advanced surface-to-air missile system.

Israeli officials have escalated the tone of the threat, with the Washington Post citing what Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said last week: “Lebanese citizens will bear the cost of this recklessness and Hezbollah’s decision to be the defender of Hamas and ISIS.” The Israeli army has operational plans to change the security situation in the north.”

The newspaper reported that these sporadic escalations have not yet ignited the fire that many fear, but every violation of the undeclared agreement between Hezbollah and Israel brings them closer to the brink of the abyss.

It is noteworthy that the last war between Hezbollah and Israel, in 2006, resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people in Lebanon and 165 in Israel, and left large areas of this besieged country in ruins. Both sides have warned that any large-scale conflict now would be far more destructive, and both have indicated that they do not wish to fight such a war.

The newspaper quoted Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the peacekeeping force that monitors activity on the Lebanese side of the border, that as the weeks pass and the missiles fly, the risk increases that either side will miscalculate or cross the border.

“Anything one side can do, the other can decide it has gone too far” and allow a bigger fight, he said.

According to the Washington Post, “In ancient Tire, a quaint port city filled with fishermen and its cobblestone streets and markets, fears rise that violence will soon spread to the rest of Lebanon. The past 17 years have given the South its longest period of peace in five decades, and the city has flourished.” This attracts tourists to its beaches, bars and luxury hotels. But the newspaper pointed out that bars and hotels are now empty and there are few customers in restaurants.

Arab and Western diplomats told the newspaper that intense talks are taking place behind the scenes to prevent a repeat of what happened in 2006. Their attention has focused on the calculations of Hezbollah, the Shiite party and armed group that represents the most dominant political and military force in Lebanon, and on the words of Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s powerful leader who It enjoys close and long-term relations with Iran.

The National Interest magazine reported that the United States is trying to mediate between the two sides to get out of this nightmare scenario, as Washington wants to reduce the possibility of a regional war breaking out and is using all its influence to achieve this.

The magazine explained that people in Lebanon are trying to go about their daily lives in a constant state of fear as the situation worsens in the southern border region, but the ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel keeps everyone on alert for a large-scale war.

It believes that the possibility of Israeli aircraft bombing Beirut and Hezbollah precision-guided missiles hitting Tel Aviv will not be possible to avoid at all if war breaks out.

According to the newspaper: “Some in Lebanon have suggested ways to avoid a complete confrontation with Israel. Major General Abbas Ibrahim, who served as head of the Public Security Directorate in Lebanon, spoke with the National Interest about the current situation, saying that the United States is in official and informal contacts.” Officially, there are people who believe they can make a difference with Hezbollah, because the Americans are trying to reduce the escalation on the border.”

According to the National Interest, Major General Ibrahim has in the past played the role of mediator for Hezbollah and the United States whenever they needed to communicate. However, he categorically denied that there was any direct discussion between them regarding the current conflict. He told the magazine: “I can say that Hezbollah is not participating in direct talks with the United States. They are focusing all their efforts on Palestine. There are many attempts to build this channel between Hezbollah and the United States, but they have proven unsuccessful so far.”

He added that the best guarantee that war will not invade Lebanon is for the international community to stop the Israeli attack on Gaza now.

“Anything one side can do, the other can decide it has gone too far” and unleash a bigger battle, he said.

In two speeches since the outbreak of the war, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has indicated that the party sees its role in creating a situation of distraction for Israel along Israel's northern border to relieve pressure on Hamas, its ally in Gaza, rather than waging an all-out war.