Spotlight on Terrorism, march 2025

The Gaza Strip

Elimination of prominent terrorists

• On March 18, the IDF and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) launched Operation Strength and Sword, attacking Hamas and PIJ terrorist operatives and facilities in the Gaza Strip for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, 2025. Senior figures eliminated included members of the Hamas political bureau, field commanders and terrorist operatives involved in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre, some of whom operated under the cover of civilian sites in the Gaza Strip to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against the IDF and the State of Israel. In all cases, precautionary measures were taken to minimize harm to civilians. Until the beginning of the operation, the IDF continued activity against ceasefire violations:^[2]
  • On March 15, an IDF force attacked two terrorist operatives operating a drone which posed a threat to IDF forces near Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. Another IDF attack targeted the terrorist operatives who collected the drone-operating equipment and were driving in a vehicle belonging to the al-Khair aid organization. IDF spokesperson reported that the drone was regularly used by PIJ operatives, and the attack eliminated Hamas and PIJ operatives, some of whom pretended they were “media personnel.” They included Mustafa Hammad, a Hamas terrorist who participated in the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre; Mahmoud al-Sarraj, an engineering operative in Hamas; Bilal Abu Matar, a Hamas terrorist who pretended to be a “photographer;” Mahmoud Islim, a terrorist from the Zeitoun Battalion in Hamas who pretended to be a “correspondent;” Zuhair Najjar, a PIJ operative released in the latest hostage deal; and Muhammad al-Ghafir, a Hamas operative (IDF spokesperson, March 16, 2025). “Palestinian sources” rejected the Israeli claim and argued that ten people were killed in the attack, some of whom were working journalists and photographers (RT Arabic Network, March 15, 2025). Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem accused Israel of a “brutal massacre.” He reiterated the claim that the dead were “journalists” and “aid workers” and claimed the strike violated the ceasefire and its objective was to “prevent the world from being exposed to Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 15, 2025).

• • On March 18, with the start of Operation Strength and Sword, the IDF and Shin Bet eliminated senior figures of Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip: Issam Dib Abdallah al-Da’alis, who had been Hamas prime minister since the elimination of Rawhi Mushtaha in July 2024. He was responsible for the coordination of Hamas arrays and their use for terrorist activity; Mahmoud Marzouq Ahmed Abu Watfa, minister of the interior in the Hamas government and responsible for the internal security forcers and their use in terrorist activities; Bahjat Hassan Muhammad Abu-Sultan, head of Hamas internal security; Ahmed Omar Abdallah al-Hittah, minister of justice in the Hamas government; Yasser Muhammad Harb Musa, who held the security portfolio in the Hamas political bureau and was head of the development office in the Hamas Executive Committee. He was involved in promoting and directing terrorist activity against Israel and was close to the Hamas leadership, including Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the political bureau before he was killed by the IDF on October 16, 2024; Muhammad Jamasi, chairman of the Hamas emergency committee in the Gaza Strip. For years he had held key positions in the Hamas political bureau and leadership and was involved in directing terrorist activity against Israel (IDF spokesperson, March 18–19, 2025). Hamas issued a statement on the deaths of six of its senior figures in the Gaza Strip, killed by a “Zionist bombing.” They were “the great commander” Issam al-Da’alis, head of the governmental monitoring committee; “the great commander” Yasser Harb, member of the political bureau; “the commander” Muhammad al-Jama’i, member of the political bureau; “the advisor commander” Ahmed al-Hittah, director general of the ministry of justice; “the commander, Major General” Mahmoud Abu Watfa, director general of the ministry of the interior; “the commander, Major General” Bahjat Abu-Sultan, director general of the internal security forces. Hamas called them “leaders and symbols” of the Palestinian people in the Strip and “in the “trenches of steadfastness, perseverance and solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip and their families for more than 15 months to stop and end the ‘Zionist aggression’ ” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 18, 2025).

     
Right: Hamas terrorists eliminated by the IDF (IDF spokesperson, March 19, 2025). Left: Hamas mourning notice for the leaders who were killed (Hamas in the West Bank Telegram channel, March 18, 2025)

• • On March 18, “local sources” reported the death of Naji Abu Seif (aka Abu Hamzah), spokesman of the PIJ’s military wing, in an Israeli attack during the night (Quds Agency, March 18, 2025). The PIJ confirmed the death of “commander” Naji Abu Seif (Abu Hamzah), Jerusalem Brigades spokesman, “murdered by the ‘criminal army’ in an attack which targeted his and his brother’s families.” According to the Jerusalem Brigades, he was “a voice of resistance,^[3] unafraid to speak for Allah, eloquent and bold” (Telegram channel of PIJ’s media office, March 18, 2025). Hamas expressed condolences over his death and praised his “heroic positions and firm voice that echoed the victories of the resistance in its confrontation with the occupation and bore witness to its steadfastness in the face of hostility” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 19, 2025).

• • On March 18, Palestinian media outlets and social media accounts reported the deaths of other commanders in IDF attack on the first day of Operation Strength and Sword. They included Hassan Ali al-Na’am (aka Abu Ali), commander of the PIJ’s rocket unit, killed by in an explosion in Khan Yunis (al-Arabiya X account, March 18, 2025; al-Araby al-Jadeed X account, March 18, 2025; Ibrahim Ghazi’s Facebook page, March 18, 2025); Khamis Jum’ah Barhoum (aka Abu Obeida), deputy commander of the Rafah Battalion of the Hamas military wing, killed in an attack on displaced persons’ tents in western Khan Yunis (Muhammad Abu Hajer and Alaa Alaa’s Facebook pages, March 18, 2025; @Hamzaalnamla1 X account March 18, 2025); Ahmed Salman Awad Shimali (aka Abu Salman), commander of the Tel al-Sabra Battalion in the Hamas Gaza City Brigade (Rania al-Khatari’s Facebook page, March 18, 2025). The IDF confirmed the elimination, reporting that Shimali was the operations officer responsible for planning the offensive plan and force build-up of the Gaza City Brigade ahead of the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre. During the war he was responsible for the deployment and organization of the Gaza Brigade against IDF forces (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025); Jamil Omar al-Wadiya (aka Abu Omar), commander of the Shejaiya Battalion in the Hamas Gaza City Brigade, allegedly killed along with his three children (Amjad Mushtaha Abu al-Joud and Ali Abu Aasem’s Facebook pages, March 18, 2025; Mahdy Elkhoudary’s X account, March 18, 2025). The IDF confirmed his death, adding that he had commanded the battalion for most of the war after replacing Wissam Farhat, who was eliminated in December 2023. Al-Wadiya was also involved in the anti-tank missile attack on a school bus in April 2011, in which an Israeli civilian was killed (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025); Muhammad Mahmoud al-Batran (aka Abu Yusuf), commander of the artillery unit and member of the military council in the Central Gaza Brigade of the military wing of the Resistance Committees, killed in a strike on his family’s home in the al-Bureij refugee camp (Salah al-Din Brigades Telegram channel , March 18, 2025).
  • On March 20, Rashid Jahjouh, head of Hamas general security, was eliminated. Also eliminated was Ayman Aslih, head of the Khan Yunis area for Hamas general security (IDF spokesperson, March 20, 2025).^[4] In another attack, the PIJ’s Ismail Abd al-‘Aal was eliminated. He had led most of the PIJ’s weapons smuggling operations in recent years and was responsible for transporting, storing and smuggling military equipment and arms into the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, March 20, 2025).
  • On March 21, Osama Tabash, head of Hamas military intelligence in southern Gaza and head of the Hamas observation and targeting department, was eliminated in an attack on Khan Yunis. According to the IDF, Tabash held a series of senior positions in the Hamas military wing, including battalion commander in the Khan Yunis Brigade. He was responsible for the suicide bombing at the Gush Katif junction in 2005, in which a Shin Bet officer was killed. He shaped the Hamas ground combat strategy and led intelligence activity in southern Gaza, where he managed Hamas operations. During the war he was involved in rebuilding Hamas military capabilities (IDF spokesperson, March 21, 2025). Tabash was responsible for exposing an IDF special forces unit in 2018 and appeared in a ceremony alongside Yahya al-Sinwar, handing him a pistol belonging to the Israeli officer killed in the operation. According to the report, following the prevention of the IDF operation, Hamas military operatives discovered surveillance devices planted in the area, which helped Hamas in its intelligence preparations for the October 7, 2023 attack and massacre (Sadaa News, March 21, 2025).

     
Right: Tabash’s “identity card” (IDF spokesperson, March 21, 2025). Left: Tabash handing al-Sinwar the pistol of the Israeli officer killed in 2018 (Sadaa News, March 21, 2025)

• • On March 23, Hamas reported that Salah al-Bardawil, a member of the Hamas political bureau who headed its planning and development office, was eliminated in an attack in the southern Gaza Strip. According to the IDF, al-Bardawil led Hamas strategic and military planning in the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025). Hamas confirmed the death of “Commander” Dr. Salah al-Bardawil, member of the political bureau and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, who was killed in a “Zionist assassination while praying in his tent in the al-Mawasi area in western Khan Yunis” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 23, 2025).

     
Right: “ID card” of al-Bardawil (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025). Left: Hamas mourning notice for al-Bardawil (Hamas Telegram channel, March 23, 2025)

• • On March 23, Muhammad Hassan al-Amour, bodyguard and escort of Yahya al-Sinwar, was killed in an IDF attack (Quds Agency, March 23, 2025).

• • On the evening of March 23, in an airstrike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, the IDF eliminated Isma’il Barhoum, who held the institutions and finance portfolio in the Hamas political bureau and had replaced Issam al-Da’alis, who was eliminated a week earlier. Barhoum was responsible for managing the funds that enabled Hamas’ continued survival in the Gaza Strip and were used for terrorist activity and the procurement of weapons. His presence in the hospital is evidence that Hamas violates international law and takes control of civilian facilities in a way which prevents the reconstruction of the Strip, while turning the population into human shields (IDF spokesperson, March 24, 2025). Hamas reported the death of “senior commander” Isma’il Barhoum, member of the Hamas political bureau, and accused Israel of a “cowardly Zionist assassination while he was [allegedly] ‘receiving treatment’ in the Nasser Hospital.” Hamas claimed the strike showed “Israel’s disregard for all international norms and conventions” and was a “dangerous escalation in Zionist war crimes” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 23, 2025).

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Right: Barhoum’s “ID card” (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025). Left: Hamas mourning notice for Barhoum (Hamas Telegram channel, March 23, 2025)

• • On March 25, Jaber Ali Abdallah Ammar, a Hamas “national commander” and one of the veteran leaders of the Islamist movement in “Palestine,” was killed in an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip. He was born in Bayt Daras in 1944; lost his father during the nakba; joined the Palestinian Liberation Army established by Ahmed al-Shukeiri, the first chairman of the PLO; fought against Israel; was arrested and sentenced to death in 1969 (a sentence later commuted to life imprisonment); founded the first Islamist movement organization in Israeli prisons; and was released in the Jibril deal in 1985 and deported to Lebanon. He later moved between Algeria and Tunisia until settling in Sudan, and returned to Gaza in May 2023 (Quds News, March 25, 2025). Hamas issued a statement on the death of “great national commander and released prisoner,” Jaber Ammar (aka Abu Ali). Ammar was praised for his “jihad path” and his role in “founding the jihadi Islamic school of giving and sacrifice inside Zionist prisons and outside the ‘homeland’ for many years” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 25, 2025).

• • On March 27, Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanua was killed in an Israeli attack on his tent in Jabalia al-Balad in the northern Gaza Strip. Al-Qanua, born in Jabalia in 1981, joined Hamas in 2000, and after completing his university studies joined Hamas’ media offices. In 2007, he was appointed Hamas spokesperson in the northern Gaza Strip, and since 2016 had served as the movement’s central media spokesperson (Shehab Agency, March 27, 2025). Hamas issued a mourning notice for the death of Dr. Abd al-Latif Rajab al-Qanua, “an example of steadfastness and dedication,” who “never hesitated to fulfill his role as the movement’s spokesperson and as a protector of our people under all circumstances, despite the extreme dangers he faced” (Hamas Telegram channel, March 27, 2025). The IDF spokesperson confirmed that al-Qanua was eliminated in an attack in the northern Gaza Strip, adding that he was one of Hamas’ leading spreaders of incitement and used the media for to spread propaganda and lies, was a psychological terrorist and a member of the Hamas military wing (IDF spokesperson, March 27, 2025).

• • On March 27, “Hamas sources” reported the deaths of Ashraf al-Gharbawi, a commander in Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades intelligence, who was killed along with his family in a strike on an apartment in northern Gaza City; and Ahmed al-Kiyali, coordinator between Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades intelligence and Hamas internal security, who was killed in a strike on an apartment in al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza (al-Sharq al-Awsat, March 27, 2025).

Rocket fire

• When the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip ended on March 18, 2025, the Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip resumed firing rockets at Israel, and by the end of March 2025, 11 rockets had been fired:
  • On March 20, three rockets were fired from the southern Gaza Strip at the Greater Tel Aviv area for the first time since October 2024. The Israeli Air Force intercepted one rocket and the other two fell in open areas. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 20, 2025). The Hamas military wing claimed responsibility for firing a rocket barrage toward Tel Aviv in response to the “Zionist killings of civilians” (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, March 20, 2025).

• • On March 21, two rockets were fired at the Israeli southern coastal city of Ashqelon from the northern Gaza Strip; both were intercepted. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 21, 2025). The Hamas military wing claimed responsibility for the attack on Ashqelon in response to the “Zionist killings of civilians” (Telegram channel of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, March 21, 2025).
  • On the evening of March 24, two rockets were fired at the Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip; both were intercepted. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 24, 2025). The PIJ’s military wing claimed responsibility for rocket fire targeting Sderot, Netiv Ha’Asara and communities along the border (PIJ combat information Telegram channel, March 24, 2025).
  • On the night of March 24, the Israeli Air Force intercepted rocket fired at the communities near the Gaza Strip. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 24, 2025). The PIJ’s military wing claimed responsibility for rocket fire fired at Sderot and communities near the Gaza Strip in response to “the Zionist enemy’s crimes against the ‘rights’ of our Palestinian people” (Jerusalem Brigades combat information Telegram channel, March 24, 2025).
  • On the afternoon of March 26, two rockets were fired at the Israeli communities near the border from the central Gaza Strip; one was intercepted, the other fell near one of the communities. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 26, 2025). The PIJ’s military wing claimed responsibility for firing rockets at the communities near the border (Jerusalem Brigades combat information Telegram channel, March 26, 2025).

• • On the evening of March 26, a rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip at Israel’s south was intercepted. No casualties were reported (IDF spokesperson, March 26, 2025). The PIJ’s military wing claimed responsibility for firing rockets at an Israeli Air Force base in the “occupied” city of Beersheba (Jerusalem Brigades combat information Telegram channel March 26, 2025).

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since June 2022

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Judea, Samaria and Israel

Terrorist attacks

• During March 2025 Palestinian terrorists carried out four attacks. Three Israelis were killed, two of them IDF soldiers. Two of the attacks were carried out in Israeli territory:
  • Stabbing in Haifa: On March 3, a Druze-Israeli terrorist got off a bus at the central bus station in Haifa and stabbed several civilians. Security guards and a civilian shot and killed him. A 70 year-old Arab-Israeli civilian was killed and four others were wounded. The terrorist was identified as Yitro Shaheen, a 20 year-old from northern Israeli Arab city of Shefaram, who held German citizenship. His family claimed he suffered from mental health issues and had been hospitalized in psychiatric institutions in both Israel and Germany (Israel Police Force spokesperson’s unit and Israeli media, March 3, 2025).
  • Shooting at a checkpoint in Samaria: On March 4, a terrorist opened fire at an IDF force at the Homesh checkpoint near the village of Burqah in Samaria. He was shot and killed. No IDF soldiers were harmed (IDF spokesperson, March 4, 2025). Hamas stated that the terrorist was Ahmed Mufid al-Kilani from the village of Silat al-Dhahr in the Jenin District. The organization praised the shooting and stated that “the spirit of resistance^[5] burns in the hearts of our revolutionary youth, who do not hesitate to seize opportunities to attack in response to the occupation’s crimes and the continued aggression against our people, especially in the northern occupied West Bank” (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, March 4, 2025).

• • Shooting near Ariel: On March 12, an Israeli civilian reported that shots were fired at his car when he arrived at the Ariel industrial zone, wounding him. The Israeli security forces launched a search for the terrorists (IDF spokesperson, March 12, 2025).
  • Vehicle ramming and shooting at the Tishbi Junction: On March 24, an Arab-Israeli terrorist rammed his car into an IDF soldier standing at a bus stop near the Tishbi Junction in northern Israel, southeast of Haifa. The terrorist exited the vehicle, stabbed and critically wounded the soldier, stole his weapon and began shooting at cars on the road. He killed an 85 year-old Israeli civilian. Border Police fighters shot and killed the terrorist, who was identified as Karam Jabareen, 25, from Zalafa in Wadi Ara (Israel Police Force spokesperson’s unit and Israeli media, March 24, 2025). Hamas praised the shooting attack, claiming it was in response to “the escalating crimes of the Zionist occupation against our people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and against our prisoners in the occupation’s jails” (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, March 24, 2025).

Significant terrorist attacks, 2025^[6]

Annual distribution of significant terrorist attacks

Counterterrorism

• During March 2025 the Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism operations in Judea and Samaria, eliminating terrorists, detaining wanted persons, and locating explosive devices, materials for making explosives, laboratories and lathes used to manufacture weapons, and funds for financing terrorist activity. The Israeli security forces continued Operation Iron Wall to prevent terrorism in northern Samaria, which in March 2025 was expanded to additional areas in Jenin and Nablus and their refugee camps;^[7] an IDF soldier was critically wounded (IDF spokesperson, March 1–31, 2025). According to the IDF, during the month of Ramadan, March 2025, Israeli security forces eliminated 13 terrorists, detained 401 wanted persons and seized 105 weapons, leading to an 80% decrease in the number of significant terrorist attacks originating in Judea and Samaria, compared to Ramadan 2024, three attacks this year compared to 27 last year (IDF spokesperson, April 2, 2025):
  • On the night on March 3, Israeli security forces eliminated the head of a Hamas cell in the Jenin area, Isser Sa’di. During the operation another terrorist was killed and three additional wanted persons were detained. An M-16 rifle, a pistol, and other weapons were discovered in the building where Saadi was hiding. Another armed terrorist who posed a threat to the forces was also eliminated (Israel Police Force spokesperson’s unit and the IDF spokesperson, March 4, 2025). Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced the death of commander Isser Abd al-Halim Sa’di (aka al-Sa’di), who was killed in a clash with Israeli forces in eastern Jenin. According to Hamas he participated in planning and executing several “special operations” that caused “the Zionist occupation pain,” and he had managed to evade several assassination attempts (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, March 4, 2025). Hamas also announced the death of Jihad Alawneh, from the town of Jaba’, who was killed by IDF gunfire during the raid on the eastern neighborhood of Jenin (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, March 4, 2025).

      
Right: Isser Abd al-Halim Sa’di (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, March 4, 2025). Left: Jihad Alawneh (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, March 4, 2025)

• • On March 12, the PIJ’s military wing announced that “founding commander” Muhammad Fawaz Abu Dawas, 31 years old, a commander in the Tubas Battalion, was killed the previous day “after clashing with an IDF force on the Khala al-Suha route in Jenin” (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 12, 2025).

• • On March 25, Israeli security forces eliminated a terrorist operative in Qalqilya who was planning to attack Israeli civilians. He shot at the security forces, who returned fire, eliminating him and two other terrorists. An improvised Carlo machinegun was found next to his body (Israel Police Force Telegram channel, March 25, 2025). “Palestinian sources” reported that Baraa Maskawi was killed after “hours of gunfire” with IDF special forces in the al-Naqqar neighborhood of Qalqilya (al-Aqsa TV Telegram channel, March 25, 2025). He had been released from an Israeli prison in December 2024 after serving 22 months (Sada News, March 25, 2025). The Hamas military wing claimed him as an operative and said he was killed after a firefight with a “Zionist” force that besieged him in the al-Naqqar neighborhood in Qalqilya. According to claims, during the firefight, Maskawi shouted, “We are at your service, Gaza” (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, March 25, 2025).

• • On March 27, an IDF ambush on Route 5 identified a masked individual holding rocks and preparing to throw them. He was shot and killed (IDF spokesperson, March 27, 2025). “Palestinian sources” reported he was Isma’il Samer Othman Sharafa, 18 years old, from the village of Beita (Wafa, March 27, 2025). Hamas confirmed that Isma’il Samer Sharafa, who was killed near the town of Hawwara south of Nablus, was an operative in its military wing (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, March 27, 2025).

• • On March 29, Israeli security forces eliminated a wanted terrorist in the village of Tamun who had been involved in an IED attack on January 20, 2025, in which an IDF soldier was killed and an officer was wounded. The forces arrived at the building where the wanted man was located and when he tried to flee with an M-16 rifle they shot and killed him (Israel Police Force spokesperson’s unit and Israeli media, March 29, 2025). Palestinian media reported that Ahmed Qasem Suleiman Bani Odeh, 22, years old was killed by “occupation” gunfire in the town of Tamun (al-Aqsa Telegram channel, March 29, 2025). The PIJ’s military wing stated that Ahmed Qasem Bani Odeh, from the Tamun company of the Tubas Battalion, was killed after “hours of confrontation” with a “Zionist force” besieging the building where he was located in Tamun, Tubas on March 29, 2025 (Jerusalem Brigades combat information Telegram channel, April 5, 2025).

• On March 31, Israeli security forces detained six Palestinians from Nablus suspected of being operatives in a terrorist cell directed and funded by Hamas headquarters in Turkey to carry out shootings and bombing attacks in Judea and Samaria.^[8] The six suspects were detained in January and February 2025 in possession of an M-16 rifle and about $60,000 in cash for financing the attacks. A large explosive device hidden near the Jit Junction was also discovered and destroyed (Shin Bet, IDF, and Police spokespersons’ units, March 31, 2025).

Hezbollah

• During March 2025, eight rockets were fired from south Lebanon in two barrages at northern Israel, for the first time since the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon went into effect on November 27, 2024. No organization claimed responsibility and Hezbollah denied involvement:
  • On March 22, six rockets were fired from south Lebanon at the Metula area. Three were intercepted by the IDF and three fell in Lebanese territory. There were no casualties. In response, the IDF fired artillery at the launch area, followed by two rounds of aerial attacks at 50 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, including in the city of Tyre and in the Beqa’a Valley. The targets included command centers, terrorist operatives, rocket launchers and a weapons storage facility (IDF spokesperson and Israeli media, March 22, 2025).
  • On March 28, two rockets were fired from south Lebanon at the Kiryat Shmona area and the Galilee Panhandle. One fell in Lebanese territory and the other was intercepted by the IDF. There were no casualties. In response, the IDF fired artillery at the launch area and carried out aerial attacks on Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon, including terrorist operatives, rocket launchers, command centers and military facilities. In addition, a building in the al-Hadath neighborhood of the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut was attacked, which according to the IDF was used for storing UAVs belonging to Hezbollah’s aerial unit (Unit 127). It was the first strike in Beirut since the ceasefire went into effect on November 27, 2024. Before the attack an IDF warning was issued to evacuate the area (IDF spokesperson, March 24–31, 2025).
• In March 2025 the IDF continued taking action to prevent Hezbollah’s efforts to reconstruct its military capabilities and against the presence of the organization in south Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire. The IDF attacked terrorist operatives, weapons and rocket launchers, and routes along the border with Syria used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, March 1–31, 2025).^[9] Hezbollah did not issue announcements about the deaths of operatives on its media channels, but social media accounts and funerals of the dead indicated their affiliation with the organization:
  • Hader Sa’eed Hashem, commander of the naval forces in Radwan Force, was eliminated in an airstrike in the Qana area of south Lebanon on March 4. According to the IDF, he had been a Hezbollah operative for 20 years, during which he held several positions. He was also involved in transferring weapons to Hezbollah by sea and in planning terrorist attacks against Israel at sea, including during the ceasefire (IDF spokesperson, March 4, 2025). Lebanese media reported one fatality by Israeli UAV attack on a vehicle in the village of Rashknaniya near Tyre (al-Akhbar and Janoubia, March 4, 2025). Hezbollah reported the death of Hader Sa’eed Hashem (aka Sadeq) (Hezbollah al-Maydani Telegram channel, March 4, 2025).

    
Right: Hashem’s car after the attack (Janoubia, March 4, 2025). Left: Hezbollah mourning notice for Hashem (Hezbollah al-Maydani Telegram channel, March 4, 2025)

• • Hassan Abbas Izz al-Din, head of the air defense array in Hezbollah’s Badr Unit,^[10] was eliminated in an Israeli aerial attack near Nabatieh in south Lebanon on March 11. The IDF reported he was an important source of knowledge in the air defense system and led its reconstruction efforts during the ceasefire. He was also involved in providing the air defense array with new weapons which posed a threat to Israeli aircraft (IDF spokesperson, March 11, 2025). Lebanese media reported that “enemy” UAVs attacked a vehicle on the river road between Deir al-Zahrani and Houmine al-Faouqa, and the ministry of health reported one “civilian” killed (al-Manar, March 11, 2025). According to reports the deceased was Hassan Izz al-Din from the town of Houmine al-Tahta (al-Hadath, March 11, 2025). Hezbollah held a funeral for him in Houmine al-Tahta, attended by senior figures, including Ihab Hamadeh, a member of the Parliament, and Sheikh Zaid Taher, head of the Tyre region (al-‘Ahed, March 12, 2025).

    
Right: Scene of the aerial attack (al-Manar, March 11, 2025).
Left: Izz al-Din’s funeral (al-‘Ahed, March 12, 2025)

• • On March 15, the IDF attacked a Hezbollah operative engaged in terrorist activity in Kafr Kila (IDF spokesperson, March 15, 2025). The Lebanese ministry of health reported one person killed in a UAV attack on a vehicle in the town of Burj al-Mulouk in south Lebanon (Lebanese News Agency, March 15, 2025).
  • On March 16, the IDF attacked two Hezbollah operatives conducting surveillance and directing terrorist activity in Yatter and Meiss al-Jabal in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, March 16, 2025). The Lebanese ministry of health reported two people killed in an Israeli attack on the town of Ainata (Lebanese News Agency, March 16, 2025).
  • On March 17, the IDF eliminated two Hezbollah operatives involved in surveillance and directing terrorist activity in Yahmour, south Lebanon (IDF Spokesperson, March 17, 2025). Lebanese media reported that an Israeli UAV attacked a motorcycle with two riders in the al-Bidar neighborhood of the town of Yahmour al-Shaqif. The motorcycle was directly hit and a passing commercial vehicle was struck by shrapnel and caught fire. The two riders were killed. One of them was identified as Ali Rida Yasser Khalil from the town of Harouf (Lebanon Debate, March 17, 2025). Hezbollah held a funeral for Ali Rida Yasser Khalil (aka Abu Yasser) in the town of Harouf (al-‘Ahed, March 19, 2025).

• • On March 23, the IDF attacked a Hezbollah operative in Aita al-Sha’ab in south Lebanon (IDF spokesperson, March 23, 2025). Lebanese media reported that Israeli UAVs attacked a vehicle in the town and that one person was killed. According to claims he owned a café which had been shelled by Israeli artillery hours earlier (Lebanon Debate, March 23, 2025). He was identified as Hassan Naameh al-Zein, a Hezbollah operative (al-Hadath, March 23, 2025).

     
Right: Scene of the strike in Aita al-Sha’ab (Lebanon Debate, March 23, 2025). Left: Hassan Naameh al-Zein (Janoub 24 Facebook page, March 23, 2025)

• • Hassan Kamal Halawi, commander of the anti-tank array for Hezbollah’s southern front, was eliminated in an Israeli aerial attack on March 25.^[11] The IDF reported that during the war he had promoted numerous terrorist attacks against Israel and was responsible for transferring operatives and arming Hezbollah in south Lebanon. During the ceasefire he continued to promote terrorist attacks on Israeli territory (IDF spokesperson, March 25, 2025). Lebanese media reported that a vehicle was targeted by an Israeli aerial attack in the town of Qa’qa’iyat al-Jisr, and the ministry of health reported one fatality (al-Nahar and Aram News, March 25, 2025). Hezbollah reported the death of Hassan Kamal Halawi (aka Osama) (al-Nahar, March 25, 2025). Halawi was buried in a Hezbollah funeral in Qa’qa’iyat al-Jisr (al-Ahed, March 27, 2025). A social media video showed Halawi instructing Hezbollah operatives in the use of anti-tank missiles (Serah_Sh X account, April 6, 2025).

• • The IDF eliminated Ahmed Adnan Bajiji, a battalion commander in the Radwan Force, in an aerial attack in Derdghiyah, south Lebanon, on the night of March 26. During the war Bajiji promoted and carried out terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and IDF forces, and during the ceasefire he continued to promote terrorist activity against the Israeli home front (IDF spokesperson, March 27, 2025). The Lebanese ministry of health reported that a “civilian” was killed in an Israeli UAV attack on a vehicle in the town of Ma’roub (al-Nahar, March 27, 2025). Reportedly, he was Ahmed Adnan Bajiji (Yaroun Lebanon Facebook page, March 27, 2025). Hezbollah held a funeral for Ahmed Adnan Bajiji (aka Kamil) in the town of Mashghara (al-‘Ahed, March 28, 2025).

• • On the morning of March 27, the IDF attacked several Hezbollah operatives transferring weapons in Yahmour, south Lebanon (IDF Spokesperson, March 27, 2025). The Lebanese ministry of health reported that three people were killed in an Israeli attack on a vehicle in the area of al-Dabsha in Yahmour al-Shaqif. Israeli artillery fire was allegedly used to prevent rescue forces from approaching the area (al-Akhbar, March 27, 2025). Hezbollah reported the deaths of three operatives in the attack in Yahmour al-Shaqif: Hussein Ali Khalil from the town of Deir al-Zahrani; and Fouzat Nour al-Din and Muhammad Sultan from the town of Kafr Rumman (Hezbollah al-Maydani Telegram channel, March 27, 2025).

• • On the afternoon of March 27, the IDF attacked Hezbollah operatives operating in Bar’asheet, south Lebanon (IDF Spokesperson, March 27, 2025). Lebanese media reported two deaths in the attack on a vehicle in Bar’asheet (al-Nashra, March 27, 2025).

Elimination of terrorist operatives from other organizations

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Lebanon/Syria

• • During March 2025, the Jerusalem Brigades, the PIJ’s military wing, reported the deaths of operatives from the organization’s branches in Syria and Lebanon. They were reported as killed “on the borders of occupied Palestine during their participation in confronting Zionist aggression,” although the exact dates of death were not specified (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 1–31, 2025):
  • On March 3, the death of Abd al-Aziz Ahmed Sahli (aka Thaer), 19 years old, from the Martyr Muhammad al-Majdhoub Battalion of the organization’s Lebanon branch, was reported.

• • On March 4, the deaths of Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Zneyd, 32 years old; and Bahaa al-Din Salah Radini, 20 years old, from the Martyr Ali al-Aswad Battalion of the organization’s Syria branch, were reported.

     
Left to right: Mahmoud Odeh Abu al-Zneyd and Bahaa al-Din Salah Radini (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, March 4, 2025)

• • On March 8, the death of: Ibrahim Ahmed Qassem, 35 years old, from the Martyr Ali al-Aswad Battalion of the organization’s Syria branch was reported.

• During March 2025, IDF forces continued operations in the buffer zone in the Golan Heights with targeted raids in villages inside and beyond the zone. Aerial attacks targeted military installations and weapons storage facilities used by the Assad regime in southern Syria and the Damascus area, as well as at Syrian Air Force bases T4 and Tadmor. A PIJ command post in Damascus, from which terrorist operations were planned and managed, was also attacked (IDF spokesperson, March 1–31, 2025).^[12]
• On March 25, several armed terrorists shot at IDF forces in southern Syria. The soldiers returned fire and an Israeli Air Force aircraft also attacked the terrorists (IDF spokesperson, March 25, 2025). According to the investigation, five to eight armed persons positioned themselves on the outskirts of the village of Kuwayya and fired at IDF soldiers from a distance of about 300 meters. The soldiers returned fire, supported by mortar and tank shells, and an Israeli UAV accurately struck the terrorists (Ynet, March 26, 2025). Syrian media reported that six people were killed when “Israeli forces attacked the village of Kuwayya” in the western countryside of Daraa after local residents prevented them from entering the village (Syria TV and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, March 25, 2025; Syrian Civil Defense X account, March 25, 2025). The deceased were reported as Ali Muhammad al-Hanis, Iham al-Hael al-Hamdan, Amin Salem Suleiman, Joudat Hussein al-Suleiman, Laith Radha al-Aqleh and Muhammad Qassem Mohsen (Omar al-Hariri’s X account, March 25, 2025). The Men of Heroism – Islamic Resistance Front in Syria^[13] reported that four of its fighters were killed while engaging in battle with “the Zionist occupation” in the village of Kuwayya in “occupied southern Syria.” The organization called for resistance to the “occupier” and its removal from Syrian land (Telegram channel of Men of Heroism – Islamic Resistance Front in Syria, March 25, 2025).

The Houthis in Yemen

• In March 2025, the Houthis resumed their attacks in the maritime space and against the State of Israel amid developments in the Gaza Strip and the end of the ceasefire. On March 11, 2025, the spokesman for the Houthi forces, Yahya Saria, announced that due to Israel’s decision to close the crossings into the Gaza Strip and prevent the entry of humanitarian aid, the Houthis are resuming the ban on passage in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, including the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, for Israeli vessels. Saria warned that any Israeli vessel trying to violate the ban would be attacked. He said the ban would continue until all the crossings into the Gaza Strip were opened and aid, food and medicine were brought in (Yahya Saria’s X account, March 11, 2025). On March 18, 2025, with the resumption of IDF attacks in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis resumed attacks against Israel, for the first time since the ceasefire went into effect on January 19, 2025. Houthi spokesman Saria claimed responsibility for 10 attacks on targets in Israel, most of them at Ben Gurion Airport, using ballistic missiles and drones (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, March 18-31, 2025). According to the IDF Spokesperson, all the missiles were intercepted before they penetrated Israeli territory (IDF Spokesperson, March 18-31, 2025):
  • March 18: Attack on the Nevatim Air Force Base using a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. It was claimed that the attack had achieved its objective. The IDF Spokesperson reported three separate incidents of intercepting a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, before it penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 20: A “high-quality” attack on the Ben Gurion airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. The attack was claimed to have achieved its objective. The IDF Spokesperson reported two separate incidents of intercepting a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, before it penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 21: A “high-quality” attack against “an Israeli military target in the occupied Jaffa area” with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. The attack was claimed to have achieved its objective. According to the IDF Spokesperson, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, before it penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 22: Attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. The attack was claimed to have achieved its objective.
  • March 23: Attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. It was claimed that the attack had successfully achieved its objective and that traffic at the airport had been halted for more than half an hour. The IDF Spokesperson stated that a ballistic missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before it penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 25: Attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Zulfiqar ballistic missile and a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. It was claimed that the attack had successfully achieved its objective. The IDF Spokesperson reported that a ballistic missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before it penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 26: Attack on “Israeli military targets in the occupied Jaffa area” using several drones. The attack was claimed to have achieved its objectives successfully.
  • March 27: Attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Zulfiqar ballistic missile and an attack on a “military target south of occupied Jaffa” with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile. It was claimed that the attack had successfully achieved its objective. The IDF Spokesperson stated that two missiles launched from Yemen were intercepted before they penetrated Israeli territory.
  • March 30: Attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the “occupied Jaffa area” with a Zulfiqar ballistic missile. It was claimed that the attack had successfully achieved its objective. The IDF Spokesperson stated that the Israeli Air Force intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Yemen, before it penetrated Israeli territory.

Houthi attacks against American forces

• On March 15, 2025, the United States began a series of extensive air and sea attacks against Houthi targets in Yemen. In response, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saria, claimed responsibility for 13 attacks against the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and its escort warships using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, March 15-31, 2025). The US Department of Defense did not publish any comments on the Houthi claims. The following is a breakdown of the Houthi attacks:
  • March 16: Attack on the American aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the northern Red Sea using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and one drone.
  • March 17: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the northern Red Sea using several ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones over a period of several hours. According to Saria, a “hostile attack” that was about to be launched was thwarted, and the American planes were forced to turn back.
  • March 18: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman in the northern Red Sea with two cruise missiles and two drones, and an attack on an American destroyer with a cruise missile and four drones. It was claimed that the attacks caused the American vessels to retreat to the northern Red Sea and that a planned attack against Yemen was thwarted.
  • March 19: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and “enemy” ships in the Red Sea using several cruise missiles and drones. It was claimed that an extensive attack against Yemeni territory was thwarted.
  • March 20: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the Red Sea using several ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. It was claimed that the attack achieved its objectives.
  • March 22: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the Red Sea using several drones.
  • March 23: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the Red Sea using missiles and drones over several hours.
  • March 25: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the Red Sea using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones over a period of several hours. The attack was claimed to have thwarted an airstrike against Yemen.
  • March 26: Attack on the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort warships in the Red Sea over a period of several hours.
  • March 27: Attack on warships in the Red Sea, led by the USS Harry S. Truman, using several ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. It was claimed that the attacks thwarted an attempt to advance the warships to the southern Red Sea and prevented the expansion of “aggression” against Yemen.
  • March 30: Three attacks in 24 hours against warships in the Red Sea, led by the USS Harry S. Truman, using several cruise missiles and drones.
• The Houthi military spokesman claimed responsibility for shooting down a US military MQ-9 drone over Yemen using a domestically manufactured surface-to-air missile in two separate incidents, on March 4 and March 31. Since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for shooting down 16 MQ-9 drones (Yahya Saria’s Telegram channel, March 4 and April 1, 2025). The US Department of Defense did not comment on the Houthi announcements.