Oh, it's an escalation! Israel's going to smash Hezbollah. Might as well take out the rubbish in Gaza while they're at it, too.
It's also worth noting that U.S. fatalities in Iraq have plunged to less than 1 good American per day...which is to say, Al Qaeda in Iraq is no longer an effective fighting force (and has probably retreated to Southern Lebanon and their ally Hezbollah).
What's left inside Iraq are a few die-hards and some factional animosity against us. It's clear to anyone paying attention that Al Qaeda has utterly lost the military fight there.
This is all inter-related. Hezbollah is acting up due to Israel smashing Hamas in Gaza, as well as because Hezbollah now has battle-veterans back from Iraq (e.g. Al Qaeda).
Likewise, Al Qaeda's allies such as LeT in Kashmir are bombing India trying to provoke the same sort of Pakistan/India war over there that Al Qaeda tried to goad the U.S. and Iran to fight 6 months ago.
Same playbook. Same plays. Different stadium fields.