Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (March 9-16, 2026)
IDF forces continued attacking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon from the air and eliminated terrorist commanders and operatives, including the commander of the Nasr Unit, as well as operatives linked to Iran and Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon. The forces continued ground activity in south Lebanon to locate and destroy weapons and terrorist infrastructure and assets. Evacuation notices were issued in south Lebanon and in neighborhoods in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut; Hezbollah claimed responsibility for more than 180 attacks on civilian, military and security targets in Israel and on IDF forces in south Lebanon using rockets, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, some of the attacks simultaneous with missile and UAV launches from Iran; Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem claimed the conflict was "defensive" in response to Israeli "aggression" and part of the campaign by Israel and the United States against Iran. Qassem and other Hezbollah figures said they were prepared for a long conflict and would fight until they had achieved their objectives; The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, is promoting an initiative to open direct negotiations with Israel to end the fighting and regulate the security situation on the border; The Lebanese government continued to place responsibility for the new crisis on Hezbollah and noted the obligation of the state's monopoly over weapons. The minister of information prohibited the National News Agency from referring to Hezbollah as "jihad fighters" or "resistance."; Lebanese authorities stated that at least 850 people had been killed since the beginning of the Israeli attacks and that nearly one million people had been displaced.
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