Lebanon

This past week Hezbollah continued its escalation and claimed responsibility for 68 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel, including the aerial detection and warning system surveillance blimp. The attacks killed an Israeli civilian and wounded 12 IDF soldiers. Hezbollah heavy rockets for the first time and for the first time launched S-5 air-to-surface rockets from a UAV. According to reports, Hezbollah changed its methods of operation to reduce the exposure of its operatives to Israeli aircraft by transferring operatives and weapons through a network of tunnels in south Lebanon and the remotely activating rockets using electronic timers.Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, said in a speech that as long as the war in the Gaza Strip continued, Hezbollah would continue to fight. He also claimed Israel failed to achieve its objectives in the war. Hassan Nasrallah met with a delegation of senior Hamas members. Najib Mikati, prime minister of the interim government in Lebanon, called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its "aggression" against south Lebanon and Gaza and to start dealing with the situation in south Lebanon.A UAV attacked the vehicle of a Hezbollah commander and his escort on the Syrian side of Lebanese border. Hezbollah did not announce casualties. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 46 attacks on military and civilian targets in northern Israel. In two of the attacks, three IDF soldiers were killed. Following the beginning of the IDF operation in Rafah, Hezbollah escalated its attacks In response, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked the organization's military infrastructure in south Lebanon and Hezbollah field commanders were eliminated in targeted attacks. Sources reported that Hezbollah was still preparing to carry out cross-border raids in the Galilee region. Na'im Qassem, Hezbollah deputy secretary general, said that Hezbollah would present its vision for south Lebanon after a complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.The Lebanese government forwarded France its response regarding proposals for a lull in the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in south Lebanon. The damage to the south Lebanese infrastructure since the beginning of the fighting on October 8, 2023 is estimated at more than $1 billion. Read more...

Hezbollah continued it attacks, mainly on military and civilian targets in northern Israel and the Golan Heights, claiming responsibility for 126 attacks during the past three weeks. In two attacks (Har Dov and Arab al-Aramsheh) an IDF civilian worker and an IDF officer were killed. In response, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked Hezbollah's military infrastructure in south Lebanon and the Ba'albek region. Senior Hezbollah and other terrorist organization operatives were targeted and eliminated. Hezbollah continues to reiterate its [so-called] "equation" in the conflict with Israel, according to which harming Lebanese citizens will result in a counter attack on civilian targets in northern Israel. Lebanon's negotiations with the United States, France and Great Britain continue for an arrangement on the Israel-Lebanon. Rockets were fired at Israel from Syrian territory; there were no casualties. In response, IDF tanks attacked the sources of the rocket fire. Two attacks on targets in southern Syria were attributed to Israel. A senior Hezbollah terrorist operative was killed in Dara'a; he had been in charge of recruiting operatives for the pro-Iranian militias. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah continued attacking Israel, mostly military targets in the north and the Golan Heights, and claimed responsibility for 38 attacks. The attacks close to the April 14, 2024, Iranian attack on Israel, Hezbollah mainly targeted Israeli air defense sites in the Golan Heights, apparently to assist and support Iran. The Iranian attack caused Hezbollah to raise its military alert. Hezbollah praised the Iranian attack, claiming it was Iran's "right to respond," adding that the Iranian attack would initiate a new phase in the Palestinian issue. During the attack there were outpourings of joy in the southern suburb of Beirut. Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general noting that Israel's attack in Syria was unusual because it targeted "Iranian territory," making it a direct attack on Iran, not Syria. A money changer with ties to Hezbollah and Hamas was killed in the town of Beit Meri, about seven kilometers (about 4.4 miles) east of Beirut.In Syria, the Israeli Air Force attacked a Hezbollah military facility in the al-Quneitra region. According to reports, Syrian army weapons storehouses, apparently also used by Hezbollah, were damaged. Read more...

This past week Hezbollah continued its attacks on northern Israel, attacking military and civilian targets 43 times. In response, the IDF attacked Hezbollah facilities along the border and in Ba'albek. in one of the attacks a senior operative in Hezbollah's Radwan Force was killed.Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah secretary general, delivered two speeches for World Jerusalem Day. In his speeches he emphasized the "uniqueness" of Jerusalem Day this year, claiming that Israel was on the road to destruction and that Hezbollah was ready for any scenario.Hezbollah, the Lebanese foreign ministry and other government groups condemned the airstrike attributed to Israel near the Iranian embassy in Damascus, where Muhammad Rada Zahedi (Hassan Mahdawi), the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Qods Force commander in Syria and Lebanon, his deputy and five other Iranians were killed. This past week, to raise the morale of its soldiers, Hezbollah published a large number of notices on social networks threatening Israel. Internal Lebanese criticism of Hezbollah gained momentum, mainly from Christian groups. UNIFIL is investigating an incident in which four security force operatives were injured by an explosion in the area of Rmeish, in south Lebanon. According to the initial investigation, they were injured when a mine exploded. The economic situation in south Lebanon is deteriorating, and reportedly there is a shortage of medicines. Read more...