Lebanon

This past week, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 43 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel, compared to 47 attacks the previous week. For the first time since the beginning of the fighting, the Lebanese Companies for Resistance to the Israeli Occupation claimed responsibility for firing a rocket at Israel. Two civilians and a soldier were killed and eight soldiers and civilians were injured in the attacks, and property was damaged; Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked Hezbollah targets and operatives in south Lebanon and deep inside the country. Hezbollah reported that three of its operatives had been killed; According to reports, Hezbollah tightened the rules for securing information because of Israel's attacks on senior commanders and operatives; Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah gave four speeches in which he reiterated the organization's position that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip would lead to an end to fighting on Israel's northern border and rejected the demand for the withdrawal of Hezbollah forces beyond the Litani River; A survey revealed that only 30% of Lebanese residents trusted Hezbollah, but support for Hezbollah's regional involvement among the non-Shi'ite communities increased; Syria: A Hezbollah operative responsible for the transfer of weapons was killed in an attack attributed to Israel on the Damascus-Beirut road. IDF forces attacked Syrian army targets in response to the launch of UAVs at Eilat and because Syria had violated the agreement for the separation of forces in the Golan Heights. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 38 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel, similar to the previous week. Eighteen IDF soldiers were injured in the northern Golan Heights by a UAV attack; Israeli Air Force fighter jets and UAVs attacked Hezbollah targets and operatives in south Lebanon. Nine Hezbollah operatives and a Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative were killed; Senior Hezbollah figures warned Israel not to expand the conflict in Lebanon. According to reports, Hezbollah put its border units on higher alert out of concern for Israeli military infiltration. Several countries called on their citizens to leave Lebanon for fear of escalation; According to reports, Iran provided Hezbollah with new weapons, including unmanned naval vessels; The prime minister of the transitional government in Lebanon, Najib Mikati, visited south Lebanon and said the country was already at war; Syria: A Hezbollah operative was killed in an attack on a Jihad al-Bina Association target. The attack was attributed to Israel; For the first time since 2016, the Arab League announced it did not designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Read more...

This past week, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 38 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel. An IDF soldier was injured by a UAV and two reserve soldiers were injured by an anti-tank missile; Israeli Air Force fighter jets and UAVs attacked Hezbollah targets and operatives in south Lebanon. A senior terrorist operative of al-Jama'a al-Islamiyya was killed in a targeted attack in the Lebanon Valley; Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, warned that the organization would act without limitations in the event of an all-out war against Israel, could hit any target in Israeli territory and could invade the Galilee. He warned Cyprus not to participate on Israel's side in the event of a war; According to reports, Hezbollah uses the Beirut International Airport to store Iranian weapons, including missiles and rockets; Hezbollah published a video of a UAV that photographed security and civilian facilities in the Haifa area. Another video threatened to attack strategic sites in Israel; The estimated damage to south Lebanon since the beginning of the fighting is over $1.5 billion and there are more than 90,000 displaced persons; The American envoy Amos Hochstein held talks in Lebanon in an attempt to prevent further escalation in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 80 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel, compared to 52 attacks the previous week. Attacks escalated in response to the killing of Taleb Sami Abdallah, the commander of the al-Nasr unit and a long-time Hezbollah operative. Two Israeli civilians and two IDF soldiers were injured in the attacks and considerable damage was caused by extensive fires which broke out in northern Israel; Israeli Air Force fighter jets and UAVs attacked Hezbollah targets and operatives in south Lebanon and the Lebanon Valley. A convoy of Hezbollah trucks was hit on the Lebanon-Syria border in an attack attributed to Israel; In the assessment of senior Hezbollah figures, Israel is not prepared to launch an all-out war in Lebanon and Israel finds it difficult to intercept the organization's UAVs. In Lebanon, public displays of opposition to Hezbollah continued: Kamil Chamoun, leader of the Free Nationalist Party, warned that twenty thousand armed Sunnis, Druze and Christians would take to the streets if Hezbollah attacked the Christian areas. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 52 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel. Falaq-2 rockets were used for the first time. A soldier was killed and 12 others were injured in a UAV attack in Hurfeish, and a UAV fell in the Jezreel Valley, 40 kilometers from the border, the furthest distance since the beginning of the fighting. In addition, anti-aircraft missiles were launched for the first time at Israeli Air Force planes in Lebanese skies; In response, Israeli Air Force fighter jets and UAVs attacked Hezbollah targets and operatives in the south and deep inside Lebanese territory; Hezbollah made a series of statements claiming it did not want a war with Israel, but threatened a powerful response if a war was "forced" on it; The UNIFIL spokesman warned there was a high risk of escalation which would lead an extensive conflict affecting the entire region; Shots were fired at the United States embassy in Lebanon, there were no casualties. A Syrian citizen was detained and claimed he had acted "in support of the Gaza Strip." He was reportedly in contact with ISIS elements in Iraq. Read more...