BICOM

Israel watched its northern border with concern after two suicide bombers attacked the Burj al-Barajneh neighbourhood in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut, a Hezbollah-controlled stronghold.

43 people were killed in the double attack, and Hezbollah and Lebanese media sources claimed that the body of a third bomber was also found before he could detonate his explosives.

The bombs were reportedly claimed by ISIS, although the claim has not been independently verified. According to the BBC, the statement from ISIS identified the three bombers as one Syrian and two Palestinians.

Hezbollah has been fighting alongside the Assad regime in Syria for a few years, helping the regime reclaim areas from both Syrian rebel groups and ISIS. Syrian rebels have previously launched cross-border attacks on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon in response.

The attacks come ahead of an international conference on Syria, due to take place this weekend. Participants at the conference include the USA, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Turkey and Iran.

According to Foreign Policy magazine, the US removed any mention of ‘transition’ in Syria from the communique of the previous Syria conference due to Iran’s continued insistence on support for the Assad regime.

Israel has grown increasingly concerned at the polarisation in Syria. On the one hand, Iran and Hezbollah have contributed substantial resources to support the Assad regime; on the other hand, ISIS is increasingly becoming a wider regional threat following the Russian airline bombing. In the global rush to confront and destroy ISIS, Israeli observers worry that Iran and Hezbollah may be given a free pass. Destabilisation in Lebanon also poses a threat to Israel’s northern border as this frequently spills over into rocket attacks.

In other Syria news, Arab media claimed that the Israel Air Force struck an Iranian weapons shipment to Hezbollah on Wednesday night. Syria reported that the IAF attacked a target near Damascus International Airport but didn’t elaborate on what was reportedly hit.

Israel refused to comment but has previously said that it will not allow Hezbollah to acquire weapons that would change the strategic balance, in particular advanced anti-aircraft missiles.