Could Lebanon be dragged into a wider war?

STORY: SIDON RESIDENT QASSEM QARAM: "Of course everyone is afraid. Anyone who tells you they're not afraid is lying to themselves."

In the southern city of Sidon, fears are growing that the Gaza war could expand and drag in Lebanon.

:: Shomer Israel via Telegram

Regular puffs of smoke on the border show where Hezbollah missiles are intercepted over northern Israel...

Or Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon.

Lebanese were bracing for war after stark threats on Wednesday (June 19) from Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.

He said nowhere in Israel would be safe if there were a war, and even Cyprus could be in danger if it let Israel use its bases.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israel would "turn Beirut into Gaza" in the event of a war.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had this warning on Friday (June 21).

"The risk for the conflict in the Middle East to widen is real and must be avoided. When rash move, when miscalculation could trigger a catastrophe that goes far beyond the borders and frankly, beyond imagination."

:: Border escalation

Hezbollah has been firing rockets at Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas since the Gaza war erupted in October.

It says they won't stop until a ceasefire in Gaza.

That's forced tens of thousands to flee homes in Israel, where political pressure is building for tougher action.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese have also fled their homes because of the Israeli airstrikes.

U.S. diplomacy this week showed deepening concern too - U.S. President Joe Biden sent over his special envoy Amos Hochstein, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli officials to avoid further escalation.

:: Threat or deterrent?

Some diplomats and analysts say Nasrallah's threats aim to match escalating rhetoric from Israel and act as a deterrent.

:: Hezbollah Media Office

Hezbollah has been flexing its muscle - drawing on ever more potent weaponry - while signaling it doesn't want all-out war.

Israel has the most powerful army in the Middle East.

But Hezbollah has thousands of fighters, many with experience in the Syrian civil war, and an arsenal of tens of thousands of missiles capable of hitting cities all over Israel.

It has a large fleet of drones and apparently flew one over the Israeli port city of Haifa this week, underlining the potential threat to key economic infrastructure including power systems.

:: Israel preparing

Israeli officials assess that the end of the main phase of fighting in Gaza is weeks away.

This week, the army's northern command said it had approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.

:: Golan Heights

:: May 8, 2024

For weeks, Israeli commanders have been holding training exercises and assessments in preparation.

But war could overwhelm Israel's famed Iron dome missile-defense system.

:: May 2000

And Israel has had a bruising experience in Lebanon in the past.

After its forces invaded in 1982, they occupied a swathe of southern Lebanon for nearly two decades.

:: 2006

Israel and Hezbollah waged war for a month in 2006.

Lebanon's infrastructure and economy is already crippled - a result of decades of poor government and conflicts, including with Israel.