In a Region on Edge, Israel and Hezbollah Launch Major Attacks on Each Other

Amid fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, the two sides on Sunday mounted the biggest round of cross-border strikes since the war in Gaza began. Within hours, both sides appeared to de-escalate, at least temporarily, but signaled that the violence and dangerous tensions could continue. For weeks, Israelis have waited in trepidation for a major attack promised by Hezbollah in retaliation for the airstrike last month in a suburb of Beirut that killed one of its leaders, Fuad Shukr. Analysts say both Israel and Hezbollah are unlikely to want to endure a war that could devastate both countries and kill thousands with little prospect of strategic victory for either side.