In northern
Israel, the ongoing conflict has forced approximately 96,000 individuals to leave their homes, while in Lebanon, more than 100,000 individuals have been displaced.[45]
Between 21 October 2023 and 20 February 2024 the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded an estimated 7,948 incidents of artillery fire from the south of the
Blue Line (from Israel to Lebanon) and 978 incidents of artillery fire from the north side (from Lebanon to Israel).[46]
Hezbollah is a
Shiite militant organization that controls southern Lebanon and is supported and funded by Iran and reportedly serves as their proxy in regional wars.[47] From the inception of Hezbollah to the present
the elimination of the state of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah.[48][49][50][51] Hezbollah opposes the government and policies of the State of Israel, and Jewish civilians who arrived following 1948.[52] Its 1985 manifesto reportedly states "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no ceasefire, and no peace agreements."[53] Hezbollah has fought many
conflicts with Israel including the
South Lebanon conflict, the
Shebaa Farms conflict, and the
2006 Lebanon War.
The outbreak of the
Hamas-Israel war had followed Hezbollah's declaration of support and praise for the
Hamas attack on Israel, which took place on 7 October, in which Palestinian factions in Lebanon immediately took part in.[43][44]
On 6 April 2023, in response to the
2023 Al-Aqsa clashes, dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, injuring three Israeli civilians.[57] The
Israel Defense Forces said that it intercepted 25 rockets fired from Lebanon,[57] which it said were fired by Palestinian factions
Hamas and
PIJ with
Hezbollah's approval.[58]
On 15 July, the IDF fired warning shots and used riot dispersal means at 18 people, including journalists and parliamentarians that crossed the border from Lebanon and walked 80 meters into Israeli-occupied territory.[59]
In the morning of 8 October,
Hezbollah fired rockets and shells at the
Shebaa Farms region in support of
Hamas' attack onto Israel; in response, the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired artillery shells and a drone into southern Lebanon.[60][61][62] Two Lebanese children were reportedly injured by broken glass.[63]
The next day, Israel exchanged a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon near the towns of
Marwahin,
Ayta ash Shab[64] and Dhayra in the
Bint Jbeil district.[65] This was after numerous Palestinian militants infiltrated the Israeli border.[66] The IDF killed at least two perpetrators (likely Palestinians),[65] while a third returned to Lebanon.[67] A Hezbollah media source announced that one of their members died in the IDF retaliation. Hezbollah denied involvement in the incident, and the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad militia claimed responsibility for the armed infiltration. Hezbollah later announced the death of two other militants at night.[68] Hezbollah fired rockets and artillery in retaliation.[69] During the clashes, two Israeli soldiers and Lt. Col
Alim Abdallah, Deputy Commander of the IDF's 300th Brigade, died of wounds inflicted by enemy fire on the border and another three were wounded.[17]
On 11 October, Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at an IDF position and claimed to have produced casualties. In response, the IDF shelled the area where the attack was launched.[70] The Lebanese-Italian hospital in
Tyre admitted three injured civilians.[71] The IDF ordered residents of northern Israel to seek shelter following reports of drones being launched from southern Lebanon.[72] A
Patriot missile was launched to intercept a suspicious projectile, after which the IDF found that the object in question was not a drone.[73] Warning sirens were activated across northern Israel after reports emerged that up to 20 infiltrators on paragliders had entered Israeli territory from Lebanon, before the IDF dismissed the report as a
false alarm.[74]
Escalation
Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh
Naim Qassem said that "when time comes for any action, we will carry it out," stating that Hezbollah was ready and would contribute to confrontations against Israel according to its own plan.[75] The IDF fired artillery, into southern Lebanon following an explosion that caused minor damage to a section of the Israel–Lebanon border wall near the kibbutz of
Hanita.[76]
The IDF released footage of a drone attack which, according to them, killed three infiltrators from Lebanon near
Margaliot who were members of
Hamas.[77] One of them was acknowledged by Hezbollah as one of their members. In the afternoon, Hezbollah fired 50 mortar shells and six anti-tank missiles towards five Israeli outposts in the Shebaa Farms.[78] Further IDF shelling killed two civilians in a Shebaa village; video and photographic evidence showed usage of
phosphorus bombs.[79]
On 15 October, Hezbollah launched five anti-tank missiles towards northern Israel killing one civilian and injuring three others in
Shtula.[80][81]UNIFIL said that their headquarters in
Naqoura in southern Lebanon was hit by rocket fire with no casualties reported.[82] Lieutenant Amitai Granot, commander of the 75th Battalion of the IDF's
Golan Brigade and son of
Rabbi Tamir Granot, was killed in a missile attack on an IDF post bordering Lebanon.[18][19]
On 13 October, while a group of
Reuters,
AFP and
Al Jazeera journalists were transmitting a live video feed of an IDF outpost in
Aalma ech Chaab, two tank rounds fired directly hit the group. The first killed Reuters photojournalist
Issam Abdallah. The second strike was much more powerful and ignited the Al Jazeera vehicle, a white
Toyota, which Al Jazeera journalists Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Brakhya, as well as their AFP colleague Dylan Collins were standing next to.[83] Reuters photographer Christina Assi was also critically injured.[84][85] The
Lebanese Army has said the IDF fired the missile that killed Abdallah. Another Reuters reporter at the scene said Abdallah was killed by projectiles fired from the direction of Israel.[86] His last post on
Instagram, posted a week before he was killed, was a photograph of
Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist for
Al Jazeera Arabic who had been killed by Israel in 2022.[87][88]
A February 2024 report by the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon concluded that an Israeli tank killed Abdallah when it fired at "clearly identifiable journalists", and that this broke international law. The report "assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident", with no records of any exchange of fire across the border for the 40 minutes before the tank firing.[89] The IDF responded to the report by claiming that Hezbollah attacked them, prompting them to retaliate with tank fire.[89]
Further clashes and retaliations
October 2023
On 16 October,
Amnesty International reported that the IDF fired
white phosphorus shells into Dhayra, hospitalizing nine civilians and setting fire to civilian objects.[90] Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, described the attack as a violation of international law that needed to be investigated as a war crime, and that it "seriously endangered the lives of civilians, many of whom were hospitalized and displaced, and whose homes and cars caught fire".[91]
Lebanese state media reported that Dhayra and other areas along the western section of the border came under "continuous" bombardment overnight.[92] In the early morning it was reported that multiple people were suffering from symptoms of suffocation after the IDF allegedly fired white phosphorus shells on the village.[93] Three people were injured after an anti-tank missile from Lebanon landed in the Israeli town of
Metula.[94] The IDF said it had killed four would-be infiltrators along the Lebanese border as they attempted to plant bombs on the border wall.[95] Hezbollah announced that five of its members were killed on the same day but it was unclear if any had involvement in the border infiltration.[96]
On 19 October, the
Lebanese Armed Forces said that one person was killed and another injured after a group of seven Iranian journalists were targeted with machine guns by Israel, although Iranian state media denied the claim and said that all its journalists were "alive and healthy".[97][98] UNIFIL peacekeepers said that one person was killed after civilians were caught in a cross-fire at the border in which the Lebanese Army requested assistance by UNIFIL to deescalate the situation. It was requested to Israel to suspend fire "to facilitate the rescue operation".[99][98]
In the early afternoon of 21 October, several rockets were fired from Lebanon toward the Shebaa Farms; there were no injuries. The IDF conducted a drone strike on the team of militants that launched the rockets.[100] A short while later, anti-tank guided missiles were fired from Lebanon toward Margaliot and
Hanita; two foreign workers were injured. The IDF conducted airstrikes against the missile teams.[101] In the evening, another anti-tank guided missile was fired from Lebanon toward
Bar'am. One IDF soldier was seriously injured and two others were lightly injured. The IDF responded with several airstrikes in southern Lebanon, some of which targeted other missile teams preparing attacks.[102]
The IDF conducted airstrikes against two Syrian military positions on 24 October in southwestern Syria, marking the first time the IDF publicly targeted the Syrian military since the Israel-Gaza war began.[103]
Hezbollah attacked 19 IDF military sites with missiles and artillery shells[104] and fired one-way attack drones at an IDF position for the first time since the conflict began.[105]
November 2023
In his widely awaited first speech since the start of the war in Gaza on 3 November, Hezbollah leader
Hassan Nasrallah said the presence of US warships in the Mediterranean "doesn't scare us".[106][107]
On 5 November, Hezbollah shot down an Israeli
Elbit Hermes 450 drone over
Nabatieh,[108] with wreckage falling over houses in the towns of
Zabdin and
Harouf.[109] One Israeli civilian was killed when anti-tank missiles hit the
Yiftah kibbutz.[110]
Four people were reportedly injured after an Israeli bombing that hit two ambulances.[111] Later, an Israeli airstrike hit two civilian cars in Lebanon carrying members of the same family driving between the towns of
Aynata and
Aitaroun which killed one women, three of her granddaughters between the ages of 10 and 14, and severely injured her daughter.[112] In response, Hezbollah fired at
Kiryat Shmona,[113] killing an Israeli civilian.[114]
The
Al-Qassam Brigades took responsibility for firing 16 rockets from Lebanon targeting areas south of
Haifa.[115] Meanwhile, Israel reported at least 30 rockets being fired in which the IDF fired back at the sources. Hezbollah and Al-Qassam brigades also conducted four cross-border attacks into northern Israel.[104] Hezbollah deputy general
Naim Qassem said that the group could be forced into wider conflict over Israeli attacks in Gaza.[116]
On 10 November, Hezbollah launched anti-tank missiles into an IDF post in
Manara which injured three soldiers. The IDF attacked the sources of fire in response.[117] Hezbollah conducted three drone attacks into northern Israel targeting IDF positions and civilians.[118] One drone was intercepted while two others landed on Israeli territory.[119] Seven Hezbollah members were killed during the clashes. The IDF shelled
Meiss Ej Jabal Hospital, injuring a doctor. Lebanon's
Ministry of Public Health condemned the attack, saying that "Israeli authorities were fully responsible for this unjustifiable act, which would have led to catastrophic results", and called for an investigation.[120]
The
Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, announced that a fighter was killed in a missile attack in the village of
Rab El Thalathine which also wounded two other members on 11 November.[121] These were the first casualties from the group since it joined the fighting.[122]
On 12 November, Hezbollah anti-tank missile and mortar attacks killed an employee of the
Israel Electric Corporation who was conducting repair work and injured 21 other Israelis, including seven IDF members and six of the fatality's colleagues.[123][124] Hezbollah also struck an IDF bulldozer in a separate attack. The IDF said it had launched a drone strike at a militant cell that tried to launch antitank missiles near Metula.[125] Further clashes also killed one Hezbollah member.[78]
Following a Hezbollah strike on 13 November, the IDF responded with heavy shelling across southern Lebanon which reportedly killed two civilians.[126] Unidentified fighters fired anti-tank guided missiles that injured two Israelis near
Netu'a.[127] An Israeli rocket struck near journalists in
Yaroun, Lebanon, no casualties were reported.[128] Hezbollah condemned the attack, which happened while the journalists were on a public tour in the town.[129] Foreign minister
Abdallah Bou Habib said that the Lebanese government filed a complaint with the
UN Security Council in response to the incident.[130]
On 16 November, Hezbollah conducted eight anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli forces and military infrastructure.[131] In the afternoon, Hezbollah attacked numerous towns near the border and targeted military gatherings in Shtula and Hadab Yaron.[132][133] The IDF responded heavily in southern Lebanon and Israeli warplanes raided Hezbollah targets.[134] Hezbollah announced that two of its members were killed.[135]
Four days later, the IDF base of
Biranit suffered heavy damage from a Hezbollah barrage using Burkan rockets.[136] IDF fighter jets struck numerous Hezbollah military targets, and soldiers struck a militant cell near Metula.[137] The historically significant St. George church was heavily damaged in Yaroun after it was shelled by the IDF.[138][139] The house of Amal Movement MP
Kabalan Kabalan was also hit with rocket fire.[140] Hezbollah claimed an attack on the IDF's
91st Division barracks at Baranit.[78]
On 21 November, an IDF airstrike in
Kafr Kila killed an elderly woman and injured her granddaughter.[141] Another team of journalists were targeted in an IDF strike near
Tayr Harfa which killed three people, including two
Al Mayadeen journalists, a reporter and a photojournalist, and a guide.[142] On the same day, four members of the
Al-Qassam Brigades were killed after an IDF strike on a car near
Chaaitiyeh.[143] A Hezbollah member was also killed in a separate attack in
Khiam.[144]
Ceasefire
Hezbollah told Al Jazeera that it will "respect" the temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.[145]
After the
temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 24 November, Hezbollah stopped its military operations briefly which also prompted the IDF to stop the shelling on targets in southern Lebanon.[146] Many displaced civilians returned to their homes amid the calm.[147] However, during the ceasefire, Hezbollah claimed 23 other attacks into northern Israel.[148]
A UNIFIL patrol unit was hit by IDF gunfire in the vicinity of Aitaroun where there were no casualties. UNIFIL condemned the incident and called on parties to be reminded "of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk."[149]
December 2023
On 1 December, Hezbollah claimed five attacks into the Israel–Lebanon border.[150] The IDF shelled
Hula, killing two civilians,[151] and the village of
Jebbayn, killing an additional person.[152] The IDF also struck a Hezbollah site and a Hezbollah cell preparing to carry out an attack near Malkia. Hezbollah announced the death of one of their members, presumably from one of the IDF strikes.[153] The next day, Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israeli army posts along the border. Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling against Hezbollah sites.[154] Hezbollah stated that one of its fighters were killed.[155]
On 3 December, Hezbollah fired one anti-tank guided missile targeting an IDF base in
Beit Hillel, injuring 11 Israelis and
Global Affairs Canada announced that a Canadian citizen was killed in Lebanon.[156][157]
On 4 December, Hamas announced the creation of a new unit in Lebanon named the "Al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards" and called on "the youth and men of our people to join the vanguard resistance fighters and take part in shaping the future and liberating Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque."[15] This created a negative reaction by many Lebanese politicians as they said that it would be a threat to Lebanon's sovereignty.[15]
One Lebanese soldier was killed and three others were injured by an Israeli attack on a Lebanese Army base in
Odaisseh.[158] The IDF later apologized for the incident, saying that it would investigate.[159] A farm worker from Syria, was killed in an Israeli artillery attack on a poultry farm near
Arnoun that also injured two of his relatives.[160] Israeli
defense minister Yoav Gallant met with mayors and local council heads in
Nahariya, northern Israel to discuss the threat of Hezbollah to northern residents. Gallant said that if diplomacy fails, Israel will use its military to force Hezbollah north of the
Litani River.[161]
On 11 December, the mayor of the southern Lebanese village of
Taybeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike.[162] Two other Hezbollah fighters were killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in Aitaroun, and three civilians were injured. Other airstrikes were carried out by the IAF, destroying five houses and damaging 17 others.[98] Four batches of missiles fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel were intercepted by the
Iron Dome defense system, while the Islamic Resistance claimed it attacked several Israeli sites. According to Israeli media, three soldiers were injured.[98] Hezbollah and other militias attacked nine Israeli towns and military positions.[163] Israeli war cabinet minister and former defense minister
Benny Gantz discussed security in northern Israel in a phone call with US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken. Gantz said he conveyed that Hezbollah's heightened aggression and attacks mean that Israel must "remove" the threat from northern Israel. Gantz's statement singled out the Lebanese state, not just Hezbollah, and called for international pressure on Lebanon to stop attacks on its southern border.[98]
The
Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon announced the death of one member of their military wing, the
Eagles of the Whirlwind, on 15 December.[2] The IDF said that one in five rockets launched by Hezbollah had landed in Lebanese territory and published an infographic showing failed rocket launches into Israel.[164]
On 16 December, a soldier from the IDF's 129th Battalion was killed by a Hezbollah drone strike near Margaliot, which also caused a fire in a building. Two other soldiers were injured. Another drone was shot down by the IDF, which also responded to the infiltrations by shelling targets. The IAF later hit several Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, including rocket launch sites and military infrastructure.[165] Hezbollah announced that one of its members was killed.[166]
On 22 December, two IDF soldiers of the
188th Armored Brigade were killed by a Hezbollah rocket attack in the Shtula area.[167]
On the morning of 23 December, IDF aircraft bombed a house in Kfar Kila and intense artillery fire also took place on the outskirts of
Deir Mimas[168] The IDF conducted a raid near a UNIFL center along the
Khardali River.[169] An
Al-Manar cameraman was injured in the eye after an IDF attack on a road in the al-Khardali area where correspondents of
MTV and the state-owned
National News Agency were also passing.[170] Hezbollah announced that two of their members were killed on that day.[170]
On 26 December, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile hit St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church in
Iqrit, northern Israel.[172] A civilian suffered serious injuries, and when IDF responders arrived at the scene, another missile was fired, injuring nine soldiers.[173]
On 30 December, Israeli airstrikes targeted an Iranian arms shipment in the Syrian border city of
Abu Kamal, killing 25 militiamen.[174]
January 2024
On 2 January, Israel conducted an airstrike in the
Dahieh neighborhood of
Beirut, resulting in the
assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of the Hamas political bureau, and the death of six other members.[175] Al-Arouri was also responsible for the expansion of Hamas' activities in the
Israeli-occupiedWest Bank, including attacks on Israelis.[176][177] The assassination occurred one day before Hezbollah commemorated the 4th anniversary of the
assassination of senior Iranian military commander
Qassem Soleimani.[178] On 6 January, Hezbollah launched approximately 40 rockets into northern Israel, describing it as an "initial response" to al-Arouri's killing.[179] According to Israel, the rockets targeted a strategic airbase near
Mount Meron, causing significant damage to it.[180]
On 8 January, Israel assassinated
Wissam al-Tawil, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's
Redwan Force, whom it accused of carrying out the attack on Meron airbase two days earlier.[181] In response to al-Tawil's killing, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israel's
Northern Command headquarters in
Safed on the following day, situated approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the border.[182]Ali Hussein Barji, the commander of Hezbollah's aerial forces in southern Lebanon who was reportedly responsible for the attack, was killed by an airstrike, according to Israel, alongside three other Hezbollah members, in
Khirbet Selm shortly before al-Tawil's funeral began.[183][184] However, Hezbollah denied that Barji was killed.[185]
On 11 January, two Hezbollah-linked search-and-rescue personnel were killed and an unspecified number of civilians were wounded during an Israeli air raid on the town of
Hanine.[186]
The IDF said that they killed four militants that infiltrated the Israeli border through Shebaa while an IDF unit was patrolling nearby on 14 January. Five IDF soldiers were wounded.[187] A group calling itself the "Islamic Glory Brigades" later claimed responsibility for the attack and announced that 3 of their members were killed and 2 were able to escape.[188] The same day, two Israeli civilians; a man and his 70-year-old mother, were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles in
Kfar Yuval.[189]
On 20 January,
Brigadier GeneralSadegh Omidzadeh, an intelligence officer with the IRGC's
Quds Force in Syria, along with four other IRGC officers, were reportedly killed in an
Israeli airstrike in Damascus.[190][191] According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an Israeli missile strike targeted a four-story building in the
Mezzeh district. The attack resulted in the death of thirteen individuals,[192] including five Iranians, and the complete destruction of the building where leaders aligned with Iran were having a meeting.[193] The next day, in southern Lebanon, Sky News Arabic reported that
Fadi Suleiman, a senior field commander of Hezbollah, survived an Israeli attack near a military checkpoint in
Kafra. His bodyguard was killed in the same attack.[194]
February 2024
Between 3 and 5 February, five Amal Movement fighters were killed. Two fighters were killed in airstrikes in
Blida and three others were announced that were killed in
Bayt Lif.[195][196]
On 8 February, the IDF conducted a drone strike on a car in Nabatieh. Israeli media said a regional Hezbollah commander named Abbas al-Dabs was assassinated in the attack.[197] A day before, two Hezbollah members, including al-Dabs, were named by Israeli intelligence as reportedly working alongside IRGC officers on building Iranian air defenses in Syria.[198]
On 10 February, an Israeli drone struck a car near Sidon, killing at least two people and wounding two others. An Israeli security source said the target of the strike was Hamas official Basel Saleh, who was "injured to an unknown extent." Saleh was responsible for enlisting new Hamas recruits in Gaza and the West Bank.[199] On 12 February, another assassination attempt took place targeting Hezbollah official Mohammed Abd al-Rasoul Alawiya in his car in Bint Jbeil.[25]
On 14 February, in the deadliest day of fighting,[200] a barrage of eleven rockets fired from Lebanon struck Safed and an army base in northern Israel, killing an Israeli soldier and injuring eight others. Israel responded with widespread airstrikes against targets belonging to Hezbollah infrastructure in Jabal al-Braij, Kfar Houneh, Kafr Dunin, Aadchit and Souaneh, killing a total of ten people.[201] In Nabatieh, an attack on a residential building killed seven members of a family, including a child. Another attack in the town of al-Suwana killed a woman and her two children.[202] The IDF said that it killed a senior commander of the elite
Redwan Force unit along with a deputy and another fighter in Nabatieh which was confirmed by Hezbollah the next day.[203][204] A total of seven Hezbollah members were announced dead from the attacks.[205]
In response to the launch of a UAV toward the Lower Galilee from Lebanese territory on 19 February, Israeli jets targeted Hezbollah militants in Marwahin, two weapons storage facilities near the city of Sidon and Hezbollah infrastructure in the Meiss El Jabal and al-Adisa areas of Lebanon.[206]
On 21 February, an Israeli airstrike on a residential area of Damascus near a fortified compound used by Syrian security forces killed two civilians.[207] On the same day, an Israeli airstrike on the village of Majdal Zoun killed two more civilians, a mother and her child.[208] In addition, Israeli forces struck a Hezbollah observation post in Ramyeh and shelled an area near Aitaroun with artillery to "remove threats." Later on Israeli jets attacked an observation post in Khaim, a military post in Zibqin — from which a missile was fired at Shlomi — and other Hezbollah infrastructure.[209]
On 22 February, after a projectile from Lebanon hit a home in the border town of Yuval, an Israeli drone struck an apartment building in Kfar Remen, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters and wounding three others.[210] The next day, on 23 February, an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah-linked clinic in Blida killed two civilian paramedics and one Hezbollah fighter and injured an unknown number of people.[211]
On 24 February, sirens sounded in Arab el Aramsha, Hanita, Shebaa Farms and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel and the Golan Heights due to rocket fire. In response, the IDF struck numerous sites across the areas of Rab El Thalathine, Ayta ash Shab and Blida. Later an Israeli drone identified a Hezbollah cell entering a military compound in southern Lebanon, leading to an Israeli airstrike on the compound. After the attack, secondary explosions took place, implying the presence of weapons in the building. In addition, fighter jets attacked a Redwan unit operational headquarters near the village of Baraachit, as well as launch posts in the area of Jabal Blat, while Israeli artillery struck to neutralize a threat in the area of
Rachaya Al Foukhar.[212]
On 26 February, after Hezbollah shot down a
Hermes 450 drone with a surface to air missile, Israel launched its first attacks into eastern Lebanon since the conflict began, targeting Hezbollah air defense sites and killing two Hezbollah members near
Baalbek.[213][214] Hezbollah said it fired 60 Katyusha rockets at an IDF headquarters in response to the attack.[215] The IDF eliminated a commander in Hezbollah's Nasser Unit who was responsible for multiple attacks into Israel, while driving in his car in Majadel.[216]
March 2024
On 4 March, an Hezbollah anti-tank missile strike on Margaliot resulted in seven injuries as well as the death of an Indian national.[217] The next day, an Israeli airstrike on Hula, in retaliation for the previous day's strike on Margaliot, killed three Lebanese citizens, a married couple and their child.[218] Amongst the three killed, Hezbollah announced two as their members.[219][220]
On 9 March, five people, including three Hezbollah members, were killed and at least nine others were wounded in an IDF strike on a house in
Khirbet Selm.[221] In Retaliation, next day Hezbollah fired 37 Katyusha rockets at the town of
Meron in northern Israel; no injuries were reported.[222][223]
On 12 March, Israeli airstrikes on the town of
al-Nabi Shayth in the
Beqaa Valley resulted in six injuries and the death of two Hezbollah members.[224]
On 13 March, an Israeli airstrike on a road near Lebanon's
Rashidieh refugee camp for Palestinians injured two people and killed two others, namely Hadi Ali Mustafa, the leader of Hamas forces in Lebanon, and a civilian.[225][226] A week later, two Syrian teenagers (aged 17 and 16) were handed over to Lebanese authorities for allegedly spying for Israel. It was reported that they confessed to have been given an equivalent of US$11 each by a local mosque servant to unknowingly plant a tracking device in Mustafa's car.[227]
On 27 March, IDF claimed the Israeli airstrike on a paramedic center affiliated with the group in
Hebbariye killed seven people, whom Israel claimed were militants. The claim was denied by Hezbollah, and that the casualties were actually rescuers.[228] The victims were later identified as volunteers, and Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health condemned the strike. In response to the attack, Hezbollah launched around thirty rockets towards northern Israel, killing a factory worker in Kiryat Shmona and lightly wounding another.[229][230] After sunset, Israeli airstrikes were reported in
Tayr Harfa and Naqoura, which each killed five and four people respectively. The strikes killed three paramedics; two from the Islamic Health Society and another from the Amal Movement-affiliated Islamic Risala Scout Association. A local commander of the Amal Movement was also killed, along with at least two Hezbollah members.[231]
On 29 March, an Israeli airstrike targeting
Aleppo International Airport killed 38 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and seven militiamen,[32] in what became the deadliest Israeli strike on Syria in the past three years.[232] Another airstrike in Bazouriyeh, Lebanon killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit who the IDF said was responsible for planning attacks against Israeli civilians.[233]
On 30 March, Reuters reported that an Israeli strike had injured three UN observers and a translator who were monitoring hostilities along the Blue Line.[234] An investigation by the Lebanese Army determined that the explosion was caused by a landmine, which Israel said was planted by Hezbollah.[235]
On 1 April, an Israeli airstrike targeting an Iranian consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. it killed eight people, including a senior Quds Force commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General
Mohammad Reza Zahedi.[236] The others fatalities included five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and two Iranian advisors.[237]
On 8 April, Israeli officials confirmed that Hezbollah fighters shot down a Hermes 900 drone, the first of its type lost during the conflict.[238]
On 16 April, an Israeli airstrike on two cars near the town of
Ain Ebel, in southern Lebanon, killed two Hezbollah members, including regional commander Ismail Baz, and one civilian.[240] The next day, fourteen Israeli soldiers and four civilians were wounded by drones attack in northern Israel. One IDF officer died of his wounds later that week.[35][241]
On 23 April, an Israeli drone strike deep into Lebanon killed an engineer working for Hezbollah's air defense forces as he was traveling in a vehicle. The strike hit the Abu al-Aswad area near the coastal city of Tyre, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the border. The fighter's vehicle was completely burnt out. The IDF said it had killed "two significant terrorists in Hezbollah's aerial unit", the second being a senior member of the elite
Redwan Force, Muhammad Attiya.[242] In response to the attacks, Hezbollah made its deepest incursion into Israeli territory yet by launching drone attacks into the city of
Acre targeting two IDF bases.[243]
May 2024
On 5 May, an Israel airstrike on a house in the Lebanese village of Meiss Ej Jabal killed four civilians. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.[244]
On 6 May, two reservist Israeli soldiers of the
98th Paratroopers Division's 655th Battalion were killed by a Hezbollah drone attack near
Metula, northern Israel, bringing the IDF death toll to 18.[245] Hezbollah also launched 30 rockets at the Golan Heights, damaging houses in
Kidmat Tzvi.[246] The IDF struck 15 Radwan targets in
al-Lwaiza, southern Lebanon,[247] and a Hezbollah compound in Sefri, near Baalbek. Lebanese media said that the strike destroyed a factory and injured three people.[248][249]
On 8 May, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed two Hezbollah and three PIJ members.[250] The next day an Israeli airstrike on a car near the village of
Bafliyeh killed four Hezbollah members.[251]
On 10 May, Israeli airstrikes on two villages in the
Marjeyoun District killed a Hezbollah member in
Aedsheet and a PIJ member in Blida, respectively. On the same day, another Israeli airstrike on the town of Tayr Harfa killed two civilians who were carrying out repairs on a local cell tower.[252]
On 14 May, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the village of Meiss Ej Jabal killed a member of Hezbollah and injured one other person. Following this, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile strike killed an Israeli civilian and wounded five IDF personnel in the kibbutz of
Adamit.[253] At night, an Israeli drone strike on a car in Tyre killed two people including Hussein Makki, a Hezbollah field commander.[254] In response to the commander's killing, Hezbollah fired 60 rockets at
Mount Meron air traffic control base causing minor damage. They also fired at least one heavy rocket towards the Biranit army base.[255] One IDF soldier was killed and another five were wounded.[256]
On 15 May, a rocket launched by the Lebanese branch of Hamas fell short of the intended Israeli target, instead landing on the Lebanese side of the border, killing a Syrian immigrant and wounding four others. A Hezbollah drone crashed in the
Lower Galilee for the first time since the start of the conflict. Hezbollah said it launched several drones targeting a surveillance system at an army base near
Golani Junction, west of
Tiberias.[257][258] The IDF confirmed that two drones were fired at the Tal Shamayim base, with one being intercepted and the other damaging the
Sky Dew aerostat.[259][260] Later that day, an Israeli airstrike on a car near Tyre killed one Hezbollah member and wounded two other people.[261] The next day, two other Hezbollah members were in another airstrike on another car near in the same area.[262] In retaliation, Hezbollah launched a drone strike on Israeli positions in Metula, wounding three IDF soldiers.
On 21 May, an Israeli airstrike near Tyre killed a high-ranking officer in Hezbollah's coastal missile unit. That night, an Israeli airstrike on a car in the Beqaa Valley killed two members of the Islamic Group. Targeted assassinations continued the same week with an Israeli airstrike on a car in the village of
Kfar Dajjal which killed a Hezbollah member and seriously wounded three children in a nearby school bus.[263]
Casualties and damage
Lebanon
The olive trade in southern Lebanon, which is the main source of income for many, was halted as farmers stopped their harvests in fear of the active shelling.[264][265] According to Agriculture Minister
Abbas Hajj Hassan, 40,000 olive trees have been burned down by fires caused by IDF shelling.[266] The ministry has also said that 790 hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and 340 thousand farm animals have been lost.[267] In total, the IDF has caused US$3 billion of agriculture losses.[268] The
Institute of International Finance predicted that Lebanon's GDP could decline by one percent by the end of 2023 and by 30 percent in 2024 in the event of further spillover of the war.[269] According to the Council for the South, Israeli strikes have destroyed 1,700 buildings and damaged 14,000 others and caused around 500 million dollars worth of damage on water, electricity, telecoms and other infrastructure.[270]
The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 90,000 Lebanese were displaced from their homes. On 5 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Abdallah Bou Habib, said that around 100,000 were displaced in Lebanon.[271] As of 30 April 2024, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that 1,359 people had been wounded.[272] As of 21 March 2024, according to OCHA, 54 Lebanese civilians have been killed including 31 women and children, three journalists and seven Hezbollah-linked first responders.[267]
At least 320 militants have been killed in Lebanon, including 250 Hezbollah members, including at least 40 in Syria, 25 Hamas and
Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, one Amal Movement member, and one
SSNP member. One Lebanese Army soldier was killed and three others were injured.[273] Seven UNIFL workers and peacekeepers were injured in numerous attacks by both Israel and Lebanese militias.[274]
Israel
At least 65,000 civilians have been displaced in a mass evacuation from northern Israel. Six Israeli civilians have been killed. On 5 November, two Israeli civilians were killed. One was killed when anti-tank missiles hit the
Yiftah kibbutz and another in
Kiryat Shmona.[110]
A letter sent on 28 December 2023 to the President of the Security Council from Israel's UN Permanent Representative stated that “attacks have already led to the deaths of 5 civilians and 11 soldiers, and to the injuries of 41 civilians and 127 soldiers”.[46] As of May 2024, more than 900 homes in northern Israel have been reported damaged by Hezbollah according to reports received by the IDF.[275] Hundreds of other cases in towns like Arab Al-Aramsheh, Menara and Metula remain unassessed due to security issues for inspection.[276]
War crimes
Killing of Lebanese civilians
On 5 November, an Israeli airstrike hit a car near Ainata, Lebanon, killing three children and their grandmother, and injuring their mother. The Israeli military admitted to striking the vehicle.[277] Human Rights Watch stated that their killings should be investigated as an apparent war crime.[278]Najib Mikati, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, called the attack a "heinous crime" and said that Lebanon would file a complaint to the UN Security Council.[277]
Killing of Israeli civilians
The elimination of the state of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been accused of "only [regarding] the Jews living in Israel as Zionists, who should be killed".[279] Throughout the war Hezbollah announces the targeting of civilian homes.[280] The most notable of the attacks in 2023 was on 12 November, when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile killed an employee of the
Israel Electric Corporation who was conducting repair work and injured 21 other Israelis, including seven IDF soldiers and six other employees of the Israeli Electric Corporation.[281][282]
According to the
Council of Europe, the intentional targeting of journalists constitutes a war crime.[283] During the conflict,
Reporters Without Borders claimed that the Israeli army had deliberately targeted journalists.[284][285][286] A
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigation said that Israel had targeted journalists in missile strikes on 13 October that killed Reuters reporter
Issam Abdallah and injured four others. These two Israeli missile strikes, 30 seconds apart, hit a group of seven journalists in southern Lebanon who were reporting on the border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In a video, the journalists are seen wearing vests and helmets identifying them as "PRESS". The marking was also present on the roof of their car, which exploded after being hit by the second missile.[287] The
Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, which tests and analyses munitions and weapons, assisted Reuters by examining the material collected at the site of the explosion and found that the piece of metal was the fin of a 120 mm tank round fired 1.34 km away from the border fired from a
smoothbore tank gun.[288]
On 26 December, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile impacted near a
Channel 13 News team while interviewing they were a farmer at
Dovev, in an article following a prior Hezbollah assault that killed a 56-year-old employee of the
Israel Electric Corporation, and injured five workers who were repairing electric lines.[289]
Hezbollah's use of human shields
The IDF claims that Hezbollah's weapons and militants are "systematically embedded in civilian areas".[290]
There have also been claims that Hezbollah intentionally draws fire to Christian areas in southern Lebanon.[291] Christians in the town of
Rmaich clashed with Hezbollah due to the organization's attempts to establish military infrastructure in the town. The residents also wrote a complaint letter.[292] On March 26, 2024, civilians in Rmeich confronted militants and rang their church bells after Hezbollah attempted to place rocket launchers in the town. Hezbollah denied trying to fire rockets from Rmiech.[293] A Lebanese Christian from the town of
Ain Ebel saw Hezbollah fighters setting up a launcher on his rooftop. After pleading with them, he fled his home with his family and his house was bombed minutes later by IDF airstrike.[294]
On 16 October, 20 rocket launchers were discovered by the Lebanese Army in the town of
Qlaiaa which have been suspected to be a part of Hezbollah infrastructure.[295] Four reportedly had rockets inside of them and were ready to be fired.[296] They were immediately dismantled by the Lebanese Army.[297]
After an attack which killed a Lebanese Army soldier and injured three others, the Alma research and education center said that the incident occurred in an area where Hezbollah conducts military operations and designates as a military zone and that Hezbollah has been using this region to launch mortars and rockets and conduct observations towards Israel. The IDF accuses Hezbollah of intentionally placing its activities near Lebanese Army Forces (LAF) posts, using the LAF troops as human shields.[298] Alma also suggests collaboration between some LAF soldiers and Hezbollah, particularly among Shiite soldiers, who make up about 45 percent of the LAF. Alma also released satellite evidence showing Hezbollah military zones operating next to UNIFIL centers and schools.[298]
Between 23 and 25 December, misleading reports emerged on
X (Twitter) which portrayed the IDF shelling of the vicinity of the Saint Mamas monastery in
Deir Mimas as a direct targeting of a religious site during the Christmas season in which
Doha News even reported on and said the incident is "signaling a broader pattern of Israeli aggression against religious sites and civilian sanctuaries".[299] However, the Alma research center showed satellite evidence of Hezbollah's use of the monastery's vicinity to launch attacks and has been doing so since the
2006 Lebanon War.[300][301]
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement has used civilian organizations as a cover-up for there military activities. According to IDF's Arabic spokesman,
Avichay Adraee, Hezbollah-run yellow ambulances have been used to transport fighters and weapons. The Islamic Health Authority's website says it has “provided services for the activity of the Hezbollah fighters against the Zionist occupation.”[302] Hezbollah has also reportedly used the environmental NGO Green Without Borders to provide direct cover for Hezbollah's military operations by harassing UN patrols and carrying out missile attacks on Israel, to obstructing UN surveillance cameras at the border with deliberately placed trees.[303]
IDF's use of white phosphorus
On 31 October, after an investigation,
Amnesty International stated that an Israeli white phosphorus attack on 16 October was indiscriminate, unlawful, and "must be investigated as a war crime", due to its use on the populated Lebanese town of Dhayra, which injured at least nine civilians.[304][305] On 2 November, Amnesty International stated its investigations into four incidents on October 10, 11, 16 and 17 showed Israel had used white phosphorus munitions.[306] The claim was confirmed by the
Washington Post, which identified two white phosphorus shell casings made in the US.[307] In southern Lebanon, Israel's white phosphorus bombs have destroyed over 4.5 million square meters of forest with economic loses being valued at nearly US$20 million.[308]
Targeting of medical and religious sites
The targeting of hospitals, as well as religious sites, constitutes a war crime.[309]
The IDF shelled
Meiss Ej Jabal Hospital, injuring a doctor on 10 November. The missiles did not explode but caused damage to the emergency department and a number of cars. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health condemned the attack, saying that "Israeli authorities were fully responsible for this unjustifiable act, which would have led to catastrophic results", and called for an investigation.[120] Days before, four people were reportedly injured after an Israeli bombing that hit two ambulances. The Lebanese
National News Agency said that an Israeli drone strike hit two ambulances belonging to the Risala Scout association which is affiliated with the Amal Movement[111]
On 26 December 2023, an anti-tank missile shot by
Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon damaged a shed in a church compound in
Iqrit, but not the church itself, wounding an elderly civilian.[310] As IDF troops and medical services were working to evacuate him, they were hit by further missiles, which resulted in nine soldiers being wounded, one of them seriously.[311][312]
On 11 January 2024, the IDF conducted strikes in the town of
Hanine and targeted an emergency center affiliated with the Hezbollah-linked
Islamic Health Authority. The attack killed two workers from the rescue force and destroyed an ambulance.[313] Other attacks on Islamic Health Authority centers occurred in
Kafr Kila,
Odaisseh and
Blida killed 7 paramedic and rescue workers and destroyed 17 ambulances.[314]
On 27 March 2024, an Israeli airstrike targeted a paramedic center affiliated with the Islamic Group in
Hebbariye, killing seven volunteer paramedics. The airstrike was condemned by the Lebanese Ministry of Health.[229] Later in the day, Israeli airstrikes in
Tayr Harfa killed two paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, while strikes in Naqoura killed one from the Amal Movement-affiliated Islamic Risala Scout Association.[231] On May 7, 2024, the Human Rights Watch declared the 27 March incident as an unlawful attack on civilians and said that they did not find any evidence of military targets at the site that was targeted. Investigations also showed that the IDF used an
MPR 500 missile to conduct the raid.[315]
Reactions
As a result of the fighting,
Swiss International Air Lines and
Lufthansa suspended flights to
Beirut, while Lebanon's flag carrier
Middle East Airlines relocated five of its 24 aircraft to
Istanbul as a precaution. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom advised against travelling to Lebanon, whilst the British embassy withdrew family members of its staff.[316]
On 6 November, in response to the killing of four civilians in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister
Najib Mikati announced that his government would submit an urgent complaint to the
UN Security Council against Israel saying that its "targeting of civilians in its aggression against Lebanon" was a "heinous crime".[321]
The most important thing is not to involve the Lebanese in anything that they cannot deal with, in light of the difficult situation they are experiencing.
As tensions heightened on 8 October near the Lebanese border, former prime minister
Fouad Siniora stressed that Lebanon should not be involved "in any hostilities with the Israeli enemy".[323]
Between 7–9 October, many politicians of long established Christian parties in Lebanon took a stance against Hezbollah's involvement as well.
Pierre Bou Assi, a member of the Lebanese Forces'
Strong Republic bloc highlighted the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers which led to the 2006 Lebanon war saying, "Hassan Nasrallah promised, in early July, that the summer would be quiet and thriving—but a few days later, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and the July war broke out".[323] The
Kataeb Party took a similar stance and condemned the use of Lebanese territory by non-state actors for launching attacks on Israel.[323]
On 28 January 2024,
Bechara Boutros al-Rahi,
Maronite Patriarch and head of the
Maronite Church, stated that residents of southern Lebanon refuse to be used as "sacrificial lambs" in what he described as a "culture of death", implicitly referencing Hezbollah's border activities. He described the hardships faced by the people, including psychological strain and disrupted education for children, and said they refuse to be hostages or human shields.[325]
On 4 December 2023, Hamas announced the organization's official establishment in Lebanon. The Lebanon-based unit was named the “al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards unit”.[326][327] The establishment of the Vanguards during the
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel faced severe criticism from various political figures and factions within Lebanon. Many argued that such an organization, with potential military implications, could infringe upon Lebanon's sovereignty and violate international resolutions, particularly the
Taif Agreement. Critics, including members of the Christian
Lebanese Forces Party and other political figures, voiced concerns about a potential recurrence of historical issues related to armed Palestinian factions operating from Lebanese territory.[327][15]
On 8 November 2023, two men were arrested by Brazilian police in
São Paulo following a warning from the
Mossad that Hezbollah was planning an attack against the country's
Jewish community. Searches were also conducted in
Brasilia and
Minas Gerais in connection with the alleged plot.[330]
Humanitarian response
The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund launched its reserve allocation that includes up to four million US dollars to support its partners to help aid those who have been displaced or still in conflict zones.[331]
^"Authorities name 570 soldiers, 61 police officers killed in Gaza war". The Times of Israel.
Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023. Eleven soldiers and reservists have also been killed in attacks claimed by the Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups on the border with Lebanon since the fighting started... The military's list also includes a soldier killed by friendly fire in the West Bank, a soldier killed due to malfunctioning ammunition on the Lebanon border, two soldiers killed in a tank accident in northern Israel, and a number of other deadly incidents amid the war but not directly related to the fighting.
^"Violence spikes in West Bank as Blinken aims to limit spread of conflict". NBC News. 7 January 2024.
Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024. Hezbollah began attacking Israel's northern border in October, targeting Israeli vehicles, command centers and settlements. The militant group alleged in an infographic on Saturday that it caused 2,000 Israeli casualties
^"Israel, Hezbollah exchange artillery, rocket fire". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 22 March 2024. Hezbollah on Sunday said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms 'in solidarity' with the Palestinian people.
^Sheikh Hassan Izz al-Din, Hezbollah media relations director, said, "[T]he Jews need to leave." Avi Jovisch, Beacon of Hatred: Inside Hizballah's Al-Manar Television (Washington, D.C.: The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 2004), pp. 62–90. qtd. by Wistrich, A Lethal Obsession, p. 774
^Jones, Seth G.; Byman, Daniel; Palmer, Alexander; McCabe, Riley.
"The Coming Conflict with Hezbollah". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
^The Shifts in Hizbullah's Ideology: Religious Ideology, Political Ideology, and Political Program. Joseph Elie Alagha, Amsterdam University Press, 2006,
ISBN978-90-5356-910-8, 380 pages, p. 188.