Israel is attempting a risky strategy, increasing the intensity of its attacks in an attempt to force Hezbollah to back down, while raising the chances of an aggressive response that devolves into a land war.

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM >> Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs today, the Israeli military and two security sources in Lebanon said, sharply escalating the year-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group.