Hezbollah

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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Hezbollah’s Use of Force During the Current Fighting Against Israel

During the night of March 1-2, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel for the first time since the ceasefire which went into effect on November 27, 2024. A day later, after a series of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, Hezbollah announced it would resume the war on Israel and began attacking military and civilian targets inside Israel and IDF forces in south Lebanon. Since March 3, Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for more than 280 rocket, missile, UAV, and other attacks; Hezbollah represented the attacks as "defensive" and in response to the Israeli attacks since the ceasefire, claiming they had no choice because the efforts of the Lebanese government to stop the "aggression" had failed. Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem confirmed that the Israeli-American campaign against Iran and the elimination of Iran's leader Khamenei had provided "the appropriate timing" to resume fighting; Hezbollah's conditions for stopping the attacks are an end to the Israeli attacks and the withdrawal of IDF forces from Lebanese territory, the release of the Lebanese held by Israel and the return of the displaced to their homes in south Lebanon. The organization also wants to return to its self-declared "deterrent equation" with Israel, in effect until Hezbollah attacked Israel to "support the Gaza Strip" on October 8, 2023; Hezbollah's secretary general said they had learned the lessons of the previous war with Israel and had shifted to decentralized fighting; Hezbollah also exploited the renewed hostilities to entrench its positions regarding the Lebanese government's plan to disarm the organization; Iran and Hezbollah admitted that they were carrying out combined and coordinated missile and UAV attacks against Israel; In ITIC assessment, Hezbollah's activity since the beginning of the current attacks indicates command and control capabilities which enable it to carry out combined attacks, both by units deployed in different areas of Lebanon and in coordination with Iran, as well as the ability to control and gradually escalate the fighting. In addition, decentralization and the combination of ground encounters and long-range fire enable Hezbollah to preserve operational continuity even under continued Israeli attacks and to disperse the centers of activity along the border. The friction with IDF forces in south Lebanon indicates the limitations of the Lebanese government after its army claimed it had achieved operational control south of the Litani River as part of implementing the state's monopoly on weapons. Hezbollah will apparently continue attacking in coordination with Iran and try to end the current round of fighting with a temporary arrangement which will allow it to rebuild its military capabilities and continue its opposition to disarmament.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah Lebanon (March 2-9, 2026)

On March 2, 2026, Hezbollah renewed its attacks on Israel in response to the Iran-Israel War which began on February 28, 2026. IDF forces attacked Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon and eliminated terrorist commanders and operatives, senior officials in Iran's Qods Force and commanders in Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in Lebanon. In addition, IDF forces seized additional terrain in south Lebanon and located and destroyed terrorist facilities and assets. Evacuation notices were issued for all residents of south Lebanon and for neighborhoods in Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut. Two IDF soldiers were killed in the fighting; Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 124 attacks on civilian, military and security targets in Israel and on IDF forces in south Lebanon, firing rockets and launching missiles and UAVs, including the first rockets fired at central Israel since the ceasefire of November 2024. The organization attacked the northern cities of Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona after issuing "evacuation notices" to residents. Hezbollah did not report the number of casualties in its ranks, however according to unofficial estimates more than 100 operatives were killed; Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem claimed the new attacks were in response to Israel and American "aggression" to "violations" of the ceasefire agreement. He accused the Lebanese government of weakening the state, diminishing its standing and surrendering to external demands; The Lebanese leadership announced it would implement the ban on Hezbollah's military and security activity and said the organization was responsible for the new escalation. The government also ordered the expulsion of all Qods Force operatives from Lebanon and said Iranian citizens would require a visa to enter the country; The Lebanese army withdrew from positions in south Lebanon and erected checkpoints to prevent the passage of Hezbollah operatives and weapons south of the Litani River. It was reported that the military court released detained Hezbollah operatives following heavy pressure from the organization; Lebanese authorities reported that nearly 400 people had been killed since the beginning of the Israeli attacks and that more than half a million people had been displaced. The Lebanese prime minister said the state was committed to providing shelter for all the displaced.
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Spotlight on Terrorism – February 2026

During February 2026 the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was maintained, while extensive counterterrorism activity continued in Judea and Samaria. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remained in effect, despite IDF attacks on Hezbollah terrorist targets. On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel attacked Iran; the organizations of the "resistance axis" did not attack Israel during the first day; The Gaza Strip: The ceasefire that went into effect on October 10, 2025 continued. IDF forces attacked suspicious individuals who crossed the Yellow Line and eliminated terrorist operatives in response to ceasefire violations, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) commanders and terrorists involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre; Israel, Judea and Samaria: There were no terrorist attacks. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activity in Judea and Samaria, eliminating or detaining terrorist operatives; Lebanon: The IDF continued attacking Hezbollah terrorist targets to prevent the organization from violating the ceasefire understandings of November 27, 2024 and to keep it from reconstructing its military capabilities and replenishing its arsenal. two Hamas terrorist operatives were eliminated in the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp and two Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives were eliminated on the Lebanon-Syria border, and a senior figure in the al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya was detained; IDF forces continued to operate in southern Syria, and a weapons depot belonging to al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya was located; The Houthis have not attacked Israel or ships since the beginning of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
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Spotlight on Iran and the Shiite Axis (February 25 – March 4, 2026)

On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States launched a combined military offensive against Iran, during which more than 1,500 military, security, and regime targets were struck. In the opening strike, senior figures in the Iranian leadership were killed, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the secretary of the Supreme Defense Council, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces, the minister of Defense, and the IRGC commander; As part of IDF strikes in Iran and Lebanon, senior Qods Force officials responsible for liaison with Hezbollah and for assisting the organization’s military buildup were eliminated; It was reported that contact between Iranian officials responsible for the “Palestinian portfolio” and Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and other Palestinian factions has been severed; According to reports, the Houthi leadership is continuing to monitor developments before deciding whether to join the fighting alongside Iran; Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed responsibility for approximately one hundred attacks using missiles and drones against American bases and facilities in Iraq, Jordan, and the Gulf states.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (February 23 – March 2, 2026)

On the night of March 1, 2026, Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, announcing that it was a response to the elimination of Iran's leader Khamenei and to the Israeli strikes in Lebanon. The IDF responded by attacking Hezbollah targets and the elimination of senior figures in the organization in south Lebanon and the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut; In response to the rocket fire, the Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military and security activities and limited it to politics. Prime Minister Salam instructed the army to accelerate the disarmament of Hezbollah north of the Litani River "by all means." Reportedly, Speaker of Parliament Berri is preparing to remove political cover from Hezbollah because of the rocket fire; Before Hezbollah entered the war, it condemned the Israeli and American strikes in Iran and the elimination of Khamenei but did not explicitly say it would attack Israel. The Lebanese leadership tried to persuade Hezbollah not to intervene in the Israel-America war on Iran out of concern of a broad Israeli response against Lebanon; Before the war broke out on February 28, 2026, the IDF continued attacks in south Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah's military assets as part of the effort to enforce the November 2024 ceasefire agreement and prevent the organization's renewed military buildup and possible preparations to attack Israel. The IDF attacked Radwan Force camps, launch positions and tunnels; Due to the regional developments, the conference in support of the Lebanese army scheduled to convene in Paris on March 5, 2026 will be postponed to April 2026; Reportedly, the former head of Hezbollah's coordination and liaison unit, Wafiq Safa, was appointed assistant to the head of the political council. 
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