Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)

Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
Part of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict amidst the Israel–Hamas war, Iran–Israel proxy conflict and the Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian civil war
Israel   Golan Heights (Israeli-occupied)   Areas ordered evacuated by Israel   Areas of Lebanon with attested Hezbollah presence   Syria See here for a more detailed map.
Date 8 October 2023 – present (10 months and 4 days) Location Israel, Lebanon and Syria Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Hezbollah Amal Movement Lebanese Resistance Brigades Islamic Group SSNP-L Islamic Azz Brigades Iran Syria Hamas PIJ Front for the Liberation of the Golan Islamic Resistance in Iraq	Israel
Commanders and leaders
Hassan Nasrallah Naim Qassem Fuad Shukr † Taleb Abdullah † Mohammad Naameh † Wissam al-Tawil † Ali Hussein Barji † Osama Hamdan Saleh al-Arouri † Mohammad Reza Zahedi † Razi Mousavi † Sadegh Omidzadeh †	Benjamin Netanyahu Yoav Gallant Ori Gordin Alim Abdallah †
Units involved
Hezbollah Lebanese Resistance Brigades Redwan Force Imam Hussein Division Aziz Unit Nasr Unit Air defense unit Engineering unit Drone Unit Syrian Hezbollah Fajr Forces Khaled Ali unit Eagles of the Whirlwind Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force NEDSA Syrian Armed Forces Syrian Army Syrian Air Defense Force Al-Quds Brigades Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Hamas in Lebanon Al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards	Israel Defense Forces Israeli Ground Forces Northern command 36th division Golani Brigade 188th Armored Brigade 53rd Battalion 91st Division 869th Battalion 300th Territorial Brigade 8th Armored Brigade 210th division 146th Division Alon Brigade Battalion 5030 Sahel Battalion Al-Sahl Battalion Yiftach Brigade 8679th unit Israeli Air Force Air Defense Command
Casualties and losses
661 militants, soldiers and medics killed 386 Hezbollah members	Per Israel: 21 soldiers (3 non-combat) and 1 security officer killed Per Hezbollah: 2,000+ casualties
109 civilians killed in Lebanon 26 civilians killed in Israel and Israeli-occupied Golan Heights 21 civilians killed in Syria 95,000+ Lebanese displaced 96,000 Israelis displaced

Exchange of strikes between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been occurring along the Israel–Lebanon border and in Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 8 October 2023. It is currently the largest escalation of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict to have occurred since the 2006 Lebanon War, and part of the spillover of the Israel-Hamas war.

On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah started firing guided rockets and artillery shells at Israeli positions in the occupied Shebaa Farms, which it said was in solidarity with Palestinians following the Hamas attack on Israel that took place a day earlier. Israel retaliated by launching drone strikes and artillery shells at Hezbollah positions near Lebanon's boundary with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

In northern Israel, the ongoing conflict has forced approximately 96,000 individuals to leave their homes, while in Lebanon, almost 100,000 individuals have been displaced. Between 21 October 2023 and 20 February 2024 the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) recorded an estimated 7,948 incidents of artillery fire from the south of the Blue Line (from Israel to Lebanon) and 978 incidents of artillery fire from the north side (from Lebanon to Israel).

Background

See also: Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon, Israeli–Lebanese conflict, and Hezbollah–Israel conflict

Hezbollah is a Shiite militant organization that controls southern Lebanon and is supported and funded by Iran and reportedly serves as their proxy in regional wars. Elimination of the state of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah, from its inception to the present. Hezbollah opposes the government and policies of the State of Israel, and Jewish civilians who arrived following 1948. Its 1985 manifesto reportedly states "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated. We recognize no treaty with it, no ceasefire, and no peace agreements." Hezbollah has fought many conflicts with Israel including the South Lebanon conflict, the Shebaa Farms conflict, and the 2006 Lebanon War.

The elimination of the state of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah. According to Dr. Joseph Alagha, Hezbollah "only regards the Jews living in Israel as Zionists, who should be killed".

Since the 1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight, Palestinian refugees have had a presence in southern Lebanon and numerous refugee camps were established, which brought many Palestinian factions into south Lebanon, with it being often used as a center to launch rockets into northern Israel. The Palestine Liberation Organization was based in Lebanon after being expelled from Jordan they were involved in an insurgency until they were expelled to Tunis after the 1982 Lebanon War.

The outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war had followed Hezbollah's declaration of support and praise for the Hamas attack on Israel, which took place on 7 October, in which Palestinian factions in Lebanon immediately took part in.

April and July 2023 skirmishes

Main article: 2023 Israel–Lebanon shellings

On 6 April 2023, in response to the 2023 Al-Aqsa clashes, dozens of rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel, injuring three Israeli civilians. The Israel Defense Forces said that it intercepted 25 rockets fired from Lebanon, which it said were fired by Palestinian factions Hamas and PIJ with Hezbollah's approval.

The attacks were the largest escalation between the two countries since the 2006 Lebanon War. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) described the situation as "extremely serious" and urged restraint.

On 15 July, the IDF fired warning shots and used riot dispersal means at 18 people, including journalists and parliamentarians that crossed the border from Lebanon and walked 80 meters into Israeli-occupied territory.

Events

For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present).

Shebaa farms attack and response

IDF footage of strike on Hezbollah infrastructure in the Shebaa Farms

In the morning of 8 October, Hezbollah fired rockets and shells at the Shebaa Farms region in support of Hamas' attack onto Israel; in response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired artillery shells and a drone into southern Lebanon. Two Lebanese children were reportedly injured by broken glass.

The next day, Israel exchanged a series of airstrikes on southern Lebanon near the towns of Marwahin, Ayta ash Shab and Dhayra in the Bint Jbeil district. This was after numerous Palestinian militants infiltrated the Israeli border. The IDF killed at least two perpetrators (likely Palestinians), while a third returned to Lebanon. A Hezbollah media source announced that one of their members died in the IDF retaliation. Hezbollah denied involvement in the incident, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militia claimed responsibility for the armed infiltration. Hezbollah later announced the death of two other militants at night. Hezbollah fired rockets and artillery in retaliation. During the clashes, two Israeli soldiers and Lt. Col Alim Abdallah, Deputy Commander of the IDF's 300th Brigade, died of wounds inflicted by enemy fire on the border and another three were wounded.

On 11 October, Hezbollah fired anti-tank missiles at an IDF position and claimed to have produced casualties. In response, the IDF shelled the area where the attack was launched. The Lebanese-Italian hospital in Tyre admitted three injured civilians. The IDF ordered residents of northern Israel to seek shelter following reports of drones being launched from southern Lebanon. A Patriot missile was launched to intercept a suspicious projectile, after which the IDF found that the object in question was not a drone. Warning sirens were activated across northern Israel after reports emerged that up to 20 infiltrators on paragliders had entered Israeli territory from Lebanon, before the IDF dismissed the report as a false alarm.

Escalation

Hezbollah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said that "when time comes for any action, we will carry it out," stating that Hezbollah was ready and would contribute to confrontations against Israel according to its own plan. The IDF fired artillery, into southern Lebanon following an explosion that caused minor damage to a section of the Israel–Lebanon border wall near the kibbutz of Hanita.

The IDF released footage of a drone attack which, according to them, killed three infiltrators from Lebanon near Margaliot who were members of Hamas. One of them was acknowledged by Hezbollah as one of their members. In the afternoon, Hezbollah fired 50 mortar shells and six anti-tank missiles towards five Israeli outposts in the Shebaa Farms. Further IDF shelling killed two civilians in a Shebaa village; video and photographic evidence showed usage of phosphorus bombs.

On 15 October, Hezbollah launched five anti-tank missiles towards northern Israel killing one civilian and injuring three others in Shtula. UNIFIL said that their headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon was hit by rocket fire with no casualties reported. Lieutenant Amitai Granot, commander of the 75th Battalion of the IDF's Golan Brigade and son of Rabbi Tamir Granot, was killed in a missile attack on an IDF post bordering Lebanon.

Killing of Issam Abdallah

See also: Attacks on journalists during the 2023 Israel–Lebanon border conflict

A protestor holding up a sign of Issam Abdallah during mass demonstrations in London

On 13 October, while a group of Reuters, AFP and Al Jazeera journalists were transmitting a live video feed of an IDF outpost in Aalma ech Chaab, two tank rounds fired directly hit the group. The first killed Reuters photojournalist Issam Abdallah. The second strike was much more powerful and ignited the Al Jazeera vehicle, a white Toyota, which Al Jazeera journalists Carmen Joukhadar and Elie Brakhya, as well as their AFP colleague Dylan Collins were standing next to. Reuters photographer Christina Assi was also critically injured. The Lebanese Army has said the IDF fired the missile that killed Abdallah. Another Reuters reporter at the scene said Abdallah was killed by projectiles fired from the direction of Israel. His last post on Instagram, posted a week before he was killed, was a photograph of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera Arabic who had been killed by Israel in 2022.

A February 2024 report by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon concluded that an Israeli tank killed Abdallah when it fired at "clearly identifiable journalists", and that this broke international law. The report "assessed that there was no exchange of fire across the Blue Line at the time of the incident", with no records of any exchange of fire across the border for the 40 minutes before the tank firing. The IDF responded to the report by claiming that Hezbollah attacked them, prompting them to retaliate with tank fire.

Further clashes and retaliations

October 2023

On 16 October, Amnesty International reported that the IDF fired white phosphorus shells into Dhayra, hospitalizing nine civilians and setting fire to civilian objects. Aya Majzoub, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, described the attack as a violation of international law that needed to be investigated as a war crime, and that it "seriously endangered the lives of civilians, many of whom were hospitalized and displaced, and whose homes and cars caught fire".

Lebanese state media reported that Dhayra and other areas along the western section of the border came under "continuous" bombardment overnight. In the early morning it was reported that multiple people were suffering from symptoms of suffocation after the IDF allegedly fired white phosphorus shells on the village. Three people were injured after an anti-tank missile from Lebanon landed in the Israeli town of Metula. The IDF said it had killed four would-be infiltrators along the Lebanese border as they attempted to plant bombs on the border wall. Hezbollah announced that five of its members were killed on the same day but it was unclear if any had involvement in the border infiltration.

On 19 October, the Lebanese Armed Forces said that one person was killed and another injured after a group of seven Iranian journalists were targeted with machine guns by Israel, although Iranian state media denied the claim and said that all its journalists were "alive and healthy". UNIFIL peacekeepers said that one person was killed after civilians were caught in a cross-fire at the border in which the Lebanese Army requested assistance by UNIFIL to deescalate the situation. It was requested to Israel to suspend fire "to facilitate the rescue operation".

In the early afternoon of 21 October, several rockets were fired from Lebanon toward the Shebaa Farms; there were no injuries. The IDF conducted a drone strike on the team of militants that launched the rockets. A short while later, anti-tank guided missiles were fired from Lebanon toward Margaliot and Hanita; two foreign workers were injured. The IDF conducted airstrikes against the missile teams. In the evening, another anti-tank guided missile was fired from Lebanon toward Bar'am. One IDF soldier was seriously injured and two others were lightly injured. The IDF responded with several airstrikes in southern Lebanon, some of which targeted other missile teams preparing attacks.

The IDF conducted airstrikes against two Syrian military positions on 24 October in southwestern Syria, marking the first time the IDF publicly targeted the Syrian military since the Israel-Gaza war began.

Hezbollah attacked 19 IDF military sites with missiles and artillery shells and fired one-way attack drones at an IDF position for the first time since the conflict began.

November 2023

Hezbollah supporters attend a Hassan Nasrallah speech in Beirut, 3 November 2023

In his widely awaited first speech since the start of the war in Gaza on 3 November, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the presence of US warships in the Mediterranean "doesn't scare us".

On 5 November, Hezbollah shot down an Israeli Elbit Hermes 450 drone over Nabatieh, with wreckage falling over houses in the towns of Zabdin and Harouf. One Israeli civilian was killed when anti-tank missiles hit the Yiftah kibbutz.

Four people were reportedly injured after an Israeli bombing that hit two ambulances. Later, an Israeli airstrike hit two civilian cars in Lebanon carrying members of the same family driving between the towns of Aynata and Aitaroun which killed one women, three of her granddaughters between the ages of 10 and 14, and severely injured her daughter. In response, Hezbollah fired at Kiryat Shmona, killing an Israeli civilian.

The Al-Qassam Brigades took responsibility for firing 16 rockets from Lebanon targeting areas south of Haifa. Meanwhile, Israel reported at least 30 rockets being fired in which the IDF fired back at the sources. Hezbollah and Al-Qassam brigades also conducted four cross-border attacks into northern Israel. Hezbollah deputy general Naim Qassem said that the group could be forced into wider conflict over Israeli attacks in Gaza.

On 10 November, Hezbollah launched anti-tank missiles into an IDF post in Manara which injured three soldiers. The IDF attacked the sources of fire in response. Hezbollah conducted three drone attacks into northern Israel targeting IDF positions and civilians. One drone was intercepted while two others landed on Israeli territory. Seven Hezbollah members were killed during the clashes. The IDF shelled Meiss Ej Jabal Hospital, injuring a doctor. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health condemned the attack, saying that "Israeli authorities were fully responsible for this unjustifiable act, which would have led to catastrophic results", and called for an investigation.

The Amal Movement, an ally of Hezbollah, announced that a fighter was killed in a missile attack in the village of Rab El Thalathine which also wounded two other members on 11 November. These were the first casualties from the group since it joined the fighting.

On 12 November, Hezbollah anti-tank missile and mortar attacks killed an employee of the Israel Electric Corporation who was conducting repair work and injured 21 other Israelis, including seven IDF members and six of the fatality's colleagues. Hezbollah also struck an IDF bulldozer in a separate attack. The IDF said it had launched a drone strike at a militant cell that tried to launch antitank missiles near Metula. Further clashes also killed one Hezbollah member.

Following a Hezbollah strike on 13 November, the IDF responded with heavy shelling across southern Lebanon which reportedly killed two civilians. Unidentified fighters fired anti-tank guided missiles that injured two Israelis near Netu'a. An Israeli rocket struck near journalists in Yaroun, Lebanon, no casualties were reported. Hezbollah condemned the attack, which happened while the journalists were on a public tour in the town. Foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said that the Lebanese government filed a complaint with the UN Security Council in response to the incident.

On 16 November, Hezbollah conducted eight anti-tank missiles targeting Israeli forces and military infrastructure. In the afternoon, Hezbollah attacked numerous towns near the border and targeted military gatherings in Shtula and Hadab Yaron. The IDF responded heavily in southern Lebanon and Israeli warplanes raided Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah announced that two of its members were killed.

Four days later, the IDF base of Biranit suffered heavy damage from a Hezbollah barrage using Burkan rockets. IDF fighter jets struck numerous Hezbollah military targets, and soldiers struck a militant cell near Metula. The historically significant St. George church was heavily damaged in Yaroun after it was shelled by the IDF. The house of Amal Movement MP Kabalan Kabalan was also hit with rocket fire. Hezbollah claimed an attack on the IDF's 91st Division barracks at Baranit.

On 21 November, an IDF airstrike in Kafr Kila killed an elderly woman and injured her granddaughter. Another team of journalists were targeted in an IDF strike near Tayr Harfa which killed three people, including two Al Mayadeen journalists, a reporter and a photojournalist, and a guide. On the same day, four members of the Al-Qassam Brigades were killed after an IDF strike on a car near Chaaitiyeh. A Hezbollah member was also killed in a separate attack in Khiam.

Ceasefire

Hezbollah told Al Jazeera that it will "respect" the temporary ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

After the temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 24 November, Hezbollah stopped its military operations briefly which also prompted the IDF to stop the shelling on targets in southern Lebanon. Many displaced civilians returned to their homes amid the calm. However, during the ceasefire, Hezbollah claimed 23 other attacks into northern Israel.

A UNIFIL patrol unit was hit by IDF gunfire in the vicinity of Aitaroun where there were no casualties. UNIFIL condemned the incident and called on parties to be reminded "of their obligations to protect peacekeepers and avoid putting the men and women who are working to restore stability at risk."

December 2023

On 1 December, Hezbollah claimed five attacks into the Israel–Lebanon border. The IDF shelled Hula, killing two civilians, and the village of Jebbayn, killing an additional person. The IDF also struck a Hezbollah site and a Hezbollah cell preparing to carry out an attack near Malkia. Hezbollah announced the death of one of their members, presumably from one of the IDF strikes. The next day, Hezbollah fired several rockets at Israeli army posts along the border. Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling against Hezbollah sites. Hezbollah stated that one of its fighters were killed.

On 3 December, Hezbollah fired one anti-tank guided missile targeting an IDF base in Beit Hillel, injuring 11 Israelis and Global Affairs Canada announced that a Canadian citizen was killed in Lebanon.

On 4 December, Hamas announced the creation of a new unit in Lebanon named the "Al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards" and called on "the youth and men of our people to join the vanguard resistance fighters and take part in shaping the future and liberating Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa Mosque." This created a negative reaction by many Lebanese politicians as they said that it would be a threat to Lebanon's sovereignty.

One Lebanese soldier was killed and three others were injured by an Israeli attack on a Lebanese Army base in Odaisseh. The IDF later apologized for the incident, saying that it would investigate. A farm worker from Syria, was killed in an Israeli artillery attack on a poultry farm near Arnoun that also injured two of his relatives. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant met with mayors and local council heads in Nahariya, northern Israel to discuss the threat of Hezbollah to northern residents. Gallant said that if diplomacy fails, Israel will use its military to force Hezbollah north of the Litani River.

On 11 December, the mayor of the southern Lebanese village of Taybeh was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Two other Hezbollah fighters were killed by Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in Aitaroun, and three civilians were injured. Other airstrikes were carried out by the IAF, destroying five houses and damaging 17 others. Four batches of missiles fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, while the Islamic Resistance claimed it attacked several Israeli sites. According to Israeli media, three soldiers were injured. Hezbollah and other militias attacked nine Israeli towns and military positions. Israeli war cabinet minister and former defense minister Benny Gantz discussed security in northern Israel in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Gantz said he conveyed that Hezbollah's heightened aggression and attacks mean that Israel must "remove" the threat from northern Israel. Gantz's statement singled out the Lebanese state, not just Hezbollah, and called for international pressure on Lebanon to stop attacks on its southern border.

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon announced the death of one member of their military wing, the Eagles of the Whirlwind, on 15 December. The IDF said that one in five rockets launched by Hezbollah had landed in Lebanese territory and published an infographic showing failed rocket launches into Israel.

On 16 December, a soldier from the IDF's 129th Battalion was killed by a Hezbollah drone strike near Margaliot, which also caused a fire in a building. Two other soldiers were injured. Another drone was shot down by the IDF, which also responded to the infiltrations by shelling targets. The IAF later hit several Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, including rocket launch sites and military infrastructure. Hezbollah announced that one of its members was killed.

On 22 December, two IDF soldiers of the 188th Armored Brigade were killed by a Hezbollah rocket attack in the Shtula area.

On the morning of 23 December, IDF aircraft bombed a house in Kfar Kila and intense artillery fire also took place on the outskirts of Deir Mimas The IDF conducted a raid near a UNIFL center along the Khardali River. An Al-Manar cameraman was injured in the eye after an IDF attack on a road in the al-Khardali area where correspondents of MTV and the state-owned National News Agency were also passing. Hezbollah announced that two of their members were killed on that day.

On 24 December, senior IRGC general Razi Mousavi was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Damascus.

On 26 December, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile hit St. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church in Iqrit, northern Israel. A civilian suffered serious injuries, and when IDF responders arrived at the scene, another missile was fired, injuring nine soldiers.

On 30 December, Israeli airstrikes targeted an Iranian arms shipment in the Syrian border city of Abu Kamal, killing 25 militiamen.

January 2024

On 2 January, Israel conducted an airstrike in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, resulting in the assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, the deputy chairman of the Hamas political bureau, and the death of six other members. Al-Arouri was also responsible for the expansion of Hamas' activities in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including attacks on Israelis. The assassination occurred one day before Hezbollah commemorated the 4th anniversary of the assassination of senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. On 6 January, Hezbollah launched approximately 40 rockets into northern Israel, describing it as an "initial response" to al-Arouri's killing. According to Israel, the rockets targeted a strategic airbase near Mount Meron, causing significant damage to it.

On 8 January, Israel assassinated Wissam al-Tawil, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's Redwan Force, whom it accused of carrying out the attack on Meron airbase two days earlier. In response to al-Tawil's killing, Hezbollah launched a drone attack on Israel's Northern Command headquarters in Safed on the following day, situated approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the border. Ali Hussein Barji, the commander of Hezbollah's aerial forces in southern Lebanon who was reportedly responsible for the attack, was killed by an airstrike, according to Israel, alongside three other Hezbollah members, in Khirbet Selm shortly before al-Tawil's funeral began. However, Hezbollah denied that Barji was killed.

On 11 January, two Hezbollah-linked search-and-rescue personnel were killed and an unspecified number of civilians were wounded during an Israeli air raid on the town of Hanine.

The IDF said that they killed four militants that infiltrated the Israeli border through Shebaa while an IDF unit was patrolling nearby on 14 January. Five IDF soldiers were wounded. A group calling itself the "Islamic Glory Brigades" later claimed responsibility for the attack and announced that 3 of their members were killed and 2 were able to escape. The same day, two Israeli civilians; a man and his 70-year-old mother, were killed by Hezbollah anti-tank missiles in Kfar Yuval.

On 20 January, Brigadier General Sadegh Omidzadeh, an intelligence officer with the IRGC's Quds Force in Syria, along with four other IRGC officers, were reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an Israeli missile strike targeted a four-story building in the Mezzeh district. The attack resulted in the death of thirteen individuals, including five Iranians, and the complete destruction of the building where leaders aligned with Iran were having a meeting. The next day, in southern Lebanon, Sky News Arabic reported that Fadi Suleiman, a senior field commander of Hezbollah, survived an Israeli attack near a military checkpoint in Kafra. His bodyguard was killed in the same attack.

February 2024

Between 3 and 5 February, five Amal Movement fighters were killed. Two fighters were killed in airstrikes in Blida and three others were announced that were killed in Bayt Lif.

On 8 February, the IDF conducted a drone strike on a car in Nabatieh. Israeli media said a regional Hezbollah commander named Abbas al-Dabs was assassinated in the attack. A day before, two Hezbollah members, including al-Dabs, were named by Israeli intelligence as reportedly working alongside IRGC officers on building Iranian air defenses in Syria.

On 10 February, an Israeli drone struck a car near Sidon, killing at least two people and wounding two others. An Israeli security source said the target of the strike was Hamas official Basel Saleh, who was "injured to an unknown extent." Saleh was responsible for enlisting new Hamas recruits in Gaza and the West Bank. On 12 February, another assassination attempt took place targeting Hezbollah official Mohammed Abd al-Rasoul Alawiya in his car in Bint Jbeil.

On 14 February, in the deadliest day of fighting, a barrage of eleven rockets fired from Lebanon struck Safed and an army base in northern Israel, killing an Israeli soldier and injuring eight others. Israel responded with widespread airstrikes against targets belonging to Hezbollah infrastructure in Jabal al-Braij, Kfar Houneh, Kafr Dunin, Aadchit and Souaneh, killing a total of ten people. In Nabatieh, an attack on a residential building killed seven members of a family, including a child. Another attack in the town of al-Suwana killed a woman and her two children. The IDF said that it killed a senior commander of the elite Redwan Force unit along with a deputy and another fighter in Nabatieh which was confirmed by Hezbollah the next day. A total of seven Hezbollah members were announced dead from the attacks.

In response to the launch of a UAV toward the Lower Galilee from Lebanese territory on 19 February, Israeli jets targeted Hezbollah militants in Marwahin, two weapons storage facilities near the city of Sidon and Hezbollah infrastructure in the Meiss El Jabal and al-Adisa areas of Lebanon.

On 21 February, an Israeli airstrike on a residential area of Damascus near a fortified compound used by Syrian security forces killed two civilians. On the same day, an Israeli airstrike on the village of Majdal Zoun killed two more civilians, a mother and her child. In addition, Israeli forces struck a Hezbollah observation post in Ramyeh and shelled an area near Aitaroun with artillery to "remove threats." Later on Israeli jets attacked an observation post in Khaim, a military post in Zibqin — from which a missile was fired at Shlomi — and other Hezbollah infrastructure.

On 22 February, after a projectile from Lebanon hit a home in the border town of Yuval, an Israeli drone struck an apartment building in Kfar Remen, killing at least two Hezbollah fighters and wounding three others. The next day, on 23 February, an Israeli strike on a Hezbollah-linked clinic in Blida killed two civilian paramedics and one Hezbollah fighter and injured an unknown number of people.

On 24 February, sirens sounded in Arab el Aramsha, Hanita, Shebaa Farms and Kiryat Shmona in northern Israel and the Golan Heights due to rocket fire. In response, the IDF struck numerous sites across the areas of Rab El Thalathine, Ayta ash Shab and Blida. Later an Israeli drone identified a Hezbollah cell entering a military compound in southern Lebanon, leading to an Israeli airstrike on the compound. After the attack, secondary explosions took place, implying the presence of weapons in the building. In addition, fighter jets attacked a Redwan unit operational headquarters near the village of Baraachit, as well as launch posts in the area of Jabal Blat, while Israeli artillery struck to neutralize a threat in the area of Rachaya Al Foukhar.

On 26 February, after Hezbollah shot down a Hermes 450 drone with a surface-to-air missile, Israel launched its first attacks into eastern Lebanon since the conflict began, targeting Hezbollah air defense sites and killing two Hezbollah members near Baalbek. Hezbollah said it fired 60 Katyusha rockets at an IDF headquarters in response to the attack. The IDF eliminated a commander in Hezbollah's Nasser Unit who was responsible for multiple attacks into Israel, while driving in his car in Majadel.

March 2024

On 4 March, an Hezbollah anti-tank missile strike on Margaliot resulted in seven injuries as well as the death of an Indian national. The next day, an Israeli airstrike on Hula, in retaliation for the previous day's strike on Margaliot, killed three Lebanese citizens, a married couple and their child. Amongst the three killed, Hezbollah announced two as their members.

On 9 March, five people, including three Hezbollah members, were killed and at least nine others were wounded in an IDF strike on a house in Khirbet Selm. In Retaliation, next day Hezbollah fired 37 Katyusha rockets at the town of Meron in northern Israel; no injuries were reported.

On 12 March, Israeli airstrikes on the town of al-Nabi Shayth in the Beqaa Valley resulted in six injuries and the death of two Hezbollah members.

IDF soldiers training as part of the newly formed Mountain Brigade in northern Israel

On 13 March, an Israeli airstrike on a road near Lebanon's Rashidieh refugee camp for Palestinians injured two people and killed two others, namely Hadi Ali Mustafa, the leader of Hamas forces in Lebanon, and a civilian. A week later, two Syrian teenagers (aged 17 and 16) were handed over to Lebanese authorities for allegedly spying for Israel. It was reported that they confessed to have been given an equivalent of US$11 each by a local mosque servant to unknowingly plant a tracking device in Mustafa's car.

On 27 March, IDF claimed the Israeli airstrike on a paramedic center affiliated with the group in Hebbariye killed seven people, whom Israel claimed were militants. The claim was denied by Hezbollah, and that the casualties were actually rescuers. The victims were later identified as volunteers, and Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health condemned the strike. In response to the attack, Hezbollah launched around thirty rockets towards northern Israel, killing a factory worker in Kiryat Shmona and lightly wounding another. After sunset, Israeli airstrikes were reported in Tayr Harfa and Naqoura, which each killed five and four people respectively. The strikes killed three paramedics; two from the Islamic Health Society and another from the Amal Movement-affiliated Islamic Risala Scout Association. A local commander of the Amal Movement was also killed, along with at least two Hezbollah members.

On 29 March, an Israeli airstrike targeting Aleppo International Airport killed 38 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and seven militiamen, in what became the deadliest Israeli strike on Syria in the past three years. Another airstrike in Bazouriyeh, Lebanon killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit who the IDF said was responsible for planning attacks against Israeli civilians.

On 30 March, Reuters reported that an Israeli strike had injured three UN observers and a translator who were monitoring hostilities along the Blue Line. An investigation by the Lebanese Army determined that the explosion was caused by a landmine, which Israel said was planted by Hezbollah.

April 2024

See also: 2024 Iranian consulate airstrike in Damascus and 2024 Iranian strikes in Israel

On 1 April, an Israeli airstrike targeting an Iranian consulate annex building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. it killed eight people, including a senior Quds Force commander of the IRGC, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi. The others fatalities included five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and two Iranian advisors.

On 8 April, Israeli officials confirmed that Hezbollah fighters shot down a Hermes 900 drone, the first of its type lost during the conflict.

On 13 April, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian military, in collaboration with the Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, Hezbollah, and the Yemeni Houthis, launched attacks against Israel with drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.

On 16 April, an Israeli airstrike on two cars near the town of Ain Ebel, in southern Lebanon, killed two Hezbollah members, including regional commander Ismail Baz, and one civilian. The next day, fourteen Israeli soldiers and four civilians were wounded by drones attack in northern Israel. One IDF officer died of his wounds later that week.

On 23 April, an Israeli drone strike deep into Lebanon killed an engineer working for Hezbollah's air defense forces as he was traveling in a vehicle. The strike hit the Abu al-Aswad area near the coastal city of Tyre, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the border. The fighter's vehicle was completely burnt out. The IDF said it had killed "two significant terrorists in Hezbollah's aerial unit", the second being a senior member of the elite Redwan Force, Muhammad Attiya. In response to the attacks, Hezbollah made its deepest incursion into Israeli territory yet by launching drone attacks into the city of Acre targeting two IDF bases.

May 2024

On 5 May, an Israel airstrike on a house in the Lebanese village of Meiss Ej Jabal killed four civilians. In retaliation, Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.

On 6 May, two reservist Israeli soldiers of the 98th Paratroopers Division's 655th Battalion were killed by a Hezbollah drone attack near Metula, northern Israel, bringing the IDF death toll to 18. Hezbollah also launched 30 rockets at the Golan Heights, damaging houses in Kidmat Tzvi. The IDF struck 15 Radwan targets in al-Lwaiza, southern Lebanon, and a Hezbollah compound in Sefri, near Baalbek. Lebanese media said that the strike destroyed a factory and injured three people.

On 8 May, Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed two Hezbollah and three PIJ members. The next day an Israeli airstrike on a car near the village of Bafliyeh killed four Hezbollah members.

On 10 May, Israeli airstrikes on two villages in the Marjeyoun District killed a Hezbollah member in Aedsheet and a PIJ member in Blida, respectively. On the same day, another Israeli airstrike on the town of Tayr Harfa killed two civilians who were carrying out repairs on a local cell tower.

On 14 May, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the village of Meiss Ej Jabal killed a member of Hezbollah and injured one other person. Following this, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile strike killed an Israeli civilian and wounded five IDF personnel in the kibbutz of Adamit. At night, an Israeli drone strike on a car in Tyre killed two people including Hussein Makki, a Hezbollah field commander. In response to the commander's killing, Hezbollah fired 60 rockets at Mount Meron air traffic control base causing minor damage. They also fired at least one heavy rocket towards the Biranit army base. One IDF soldier was killed and another five were wounded.

On 15 May, a rocket launched by the Lebanese branch of Hamas fell short of the intended Israeli target, instead landing on the Lebanese side of the border, killing a Syrian immigrant and wounding four others. A Hezbollah drone crashed in the Lower Galilee for the first time since the start of the conflict. Hezbollah said it launched several drones targeting a surveillance system at an army base near Golani Junction, west of Tiberias. The IDF confirmed that two drones were fired at the Tal Shamayim base, with one being intercepted and the other damaging the Sky Dew aerostat. Later that day, an Israeli airstrike on a car near Tyre killed one Hezbollah member and wounded two other people. The next day, two other Hezbollah members were in another airstrike on another car near in the same area. In retaliation, Hezbollah launched a drone strike on Israeli positions in Metula, wounding three IDF soldiers.

On 21 May, an Israeli airstrike near Tyre killed a high-ranking officer in Hezbollah's coastal missile unit. That night, an Israeli airstrike on a car in the Beqaa Valley killed two members of the Islamic Group. Targeted assassinations continued the same week with an Israeli airstrike on a car in the village of Kfar Dajjal which killed a Hezbollah member and seriously wounded three children in a nearby school bus. In response, Lebanon issued a formal complaint to the United Nations Security Council.

On 25 May, an Israeli airstrike on a truck near the Syrian town of al-Qusayr killed two Hezbollah members. Later that day, a car bombing in Damascus killed a Syrian Army officer with ties to Hezbollah.

On 26 May, an Israeli airstrike on a house in Aitaroun killed two Hezbollah members. On the same day, another Hezbollah member was killed, as was another person, following an airstrike on a motorcycle in Naqoura. Later, an airstrike on another motorcycle in Ayta ash Shab killed two civilians. An airstrike on a third motorcycle, in Hula, killed two Hezbollah members and wounded two other people. Two civilians were killed in strikes on the village of Yaroun.

On 27 May, an Israeli airstrike near the Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil killed a PIJ member and a civilian and wounded nine other people. It also caused minor damage to the hospital.

On 29 May, an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian city of Baniyas killed an underage civilian and wounded ten others. Later that day, another Israeli airstrike in Syria, this time on Homs, killed three Hezbollah members.

On 31 May, an Israeli airstrike on a motorcycle in Yaroun killed a Hezbollah member. Later that day, an Israeli airstrike on an ambulance in Naqoura killed a paramedic and wounded another.

June 2024

On 1 June, an Israeli airstrike on a house in Aadloun killed a civilian and wounded four others. Later that evening, two Israeli airstrikes on a house in Ain Qana killed a Hezbollah member and wounded another person. The next day, an Israeli airstrike on a motorcycle in Hula killed two civilians.

On 3 June, a pair of Israeli airstrikes on Naqoura killed two Hezbollah members. Another airstrike, this time on a car near the village of Kauthariyet El Rez, killed another Hezbollah member. In Syria, an Israeli airstrike on a copper plant near Aleppo killed 16 members of Iran-backed militias. Hezbollah said that it fired drones at the IDF's headquarters in the Galilee. It also claimed a drone attack in Metula. The IDF confirmed that two drones crashed in northern Israel while a third was intercepted. Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran made his first overseas visit as foreign minister to Lebanon, during which he confirmed that the Iranian government was engaged in negotiations with the United States hosted by Oman. Forest fires in northern Israel were erupted the entire week which reportedly resulted in 2,500 acres of land burnt and the hospitalization of six Israeli soldiers and five civilians due to smoke inhalation.

On 11 June, an Israeli strike on a command and control center in Jwaya killed senior Hezbollah commander Taleb Abdallah and three other militants. The next day, in response to Taleb's killing, Hezbollah launched a barrage of about 90 rockets into Israel targeting an IDF factory, military headquarters in Ein Zeitim and Ami'ad, and an air surveillance station in Meron. It later fired another 70 at the Mount Meron area, and then ten more at Zar'it, bringing the total number of launches to 170. It increased to 215 by the late afternoon.

On 13 June, Hezbollah fired 150 rockets and 30 UAVs at 15 targets in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.

Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor to US President Joe Biden, arrived to Israel on 17 June to attempt to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Lebanese militias.

On 19 June, Nasrallah stated that a Hezbollah invasion of the Galilee "remains on the table" and alleged that the government of Cyprus was allowing Israeli forces to operate within its country and thus made Cyprus a legitimate target for Hezbollah strikes. Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides denied that Cyprus was taking sides in the conflict.

On 30 June, Israeli officials reported the 18 IDF soldiers were wounded by a drone attack on the Golan Heights.

July 2024

On 3 July, senior Hezbollah field commander Mohammed Nasser was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre. He was allegedly commander of a unit responsible for firing from southwestern Lebanon at Israel. Hezbollah fired 100 rockets at IDF positions in response to his killing. The following day, it fired 200 more rockets into Israel, causing fires and killing a reservist. The inability of Israelis to return to their homes in the north of the country led to Antony Blinken stating that Israel had effectively "lost sovereignty in the northern quadrant of its country".

On 9 July, an Israeli airstrike on the Beirut–Damascus highway in Syria killed two Hezbollah members and seriously wounded a Syrian driver. A former bodyguard of Hassan Nasrallah was among the casualties. Hezbollah fired 40 rockets at the Golan Heights, striking a vehicle and killing two civilians.

On 16 July, at least two people were wounded in an Israeli drone attack in Lebanon. Hezbollah rocket strikes in Kiryat Shmona damaged residential buildings. Israel confirmed on 18 July that an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed two top commanders of Hezbollah, and injured 18 people.

On 20 July, Israel struck a Hezbollah ammunition depot in south Lebanon, injuring at least four civilians. A Hezbollah drone strike injured two soldiers in northern Israel.

Israel claimed on 22 July, that it struck Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. Drones from Lebanon were intercepted by Israeli forces. A Hezbollah rocket strike injured two soldiers in northern Israel. Israel launched artillery strikes on southern Lebanon in response to the Hezbollah strike. A car was struck by an Israeli drone in Southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah launched rocket strikes in northern Israel in response to the Israeli strike which killed one of its top commanders. Israeli warplanes and artillery struck southern Lebanon allegedly targeting infrastructure and a weapons warehouse of Hezbollah.

On 25 July, Hezbollah launched a number of airstrikes to northern Israel. IDF attempts at interception were unsuccessful, while several fires were reported across the area.

On 26 July, Israeli aircraft struck Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. US-made Boeing manufactured AH-64 Apache attack helicopters were used in the strike. Several anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon to Upper Galilee and one missile hit a packing house.

The missile impact site on the soccer field of Majdal Shams, after the bodies of the deceased and wounded were removed

On 27 July, an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed four members of different militant groups including at least one Hezbollah militant. A rocket strike hit the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the northern Golan Heights. The projectile struck a soccer field, killing 12 and injuring at least 42, who were transported to hospitals by helicopter. Most of the victims were between the ages of 10 and 16. Israel accused Hezbollah of carrying out the attack; Hezbollah claimed to have attacked an IDF base in the Golan but denied responsibility for hitting the soccer field. The IDF reported that the rocket was an Iranian-made Falaq-1 equipped with a warhead containing over 50 kilograms of explosives. In retaliation, the IDF bombed villages and towns in south and east Lebanon on 28 July. The IDF said it had targeted infrastructure and weapon depots of Hezbollah.

On 29 July, two were killed and three were wounded including a child in an Israeli strike in Lebanon. According to the IDF, two Hezbollah militants were killed including one member of the Redwan force.

On 30 July, an Israeli airstrike struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. One Israeli civilian was killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon to northern Israel. Hezbollah said it fired at Israeli warplanes which entered Lebanese airspace. The IDF said an airstrike in Sayyid Muhsan, Beirut targeted senior commander of Hezbollah Fuad Shukr for his involvement in the Majdal Shams attack. According to Israel he was killed in the strike. Hezbollah later confirmed his death. Five civilians were also killed, while 80 people were injured. Those civilians who were killed were two children and two women.

August 2024

On 1 August, Hezbollah said it fired dozens of Katyusha rockets to northern Israel.

On 2 August, an Israeli drone strike struck a Hezbollah operative who fired rockets to northern Israel. IDF artillery shells struck other launch sites which were used by Hezbollah to fire rockets to northern Israel the previous day. On the same day, an Israeli airstrike targeted two Hezbollah operatives who launched projectiles to Israel and other Hezbollah operatives in a building used by militant group in southern Lebanon. Israel shelled a rocket launching site of Hezbollah. At least five migrant workers from Syria were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.

On 3 August, a boy was killed and six were injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon. Other Israeli airstrikes were also reported from southern Lebanon. One Hezbollah militant was also killed in this strike. Hezbollah attacks targeted Israel from Israel Lebanon border. Hezbollah fired a missile against an Israeli warplane which entered Lebanon airspace and it was forced to turn back. Hezbollah fired rockets to northern Israel and many of them were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome in Galilee.

On 4 August, Hezbollah said it destroyed spy equipment in Ramya, northern Israel. Israel struck Marjayoun in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets to Beit Hillel in northern Israel. An Israeli drone missed its target of a motorcycle in Rab El Thalathine, southern Lebanon and no injuries were reported. Israeli airstrikes struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Zibqin and Hula in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it targeted two IDF outposts near the Lebanese border. An Israeli drone strike caused a fire in a power station in Taybeh in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah said it targeted an IDF site in Malkia. A Hezbollah drone strike near Ayelet HaShahar wounded an IDF officer and soldier and caused a fire.

On 5 August, at least two including a civilian were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Meiss Ej Jabal. Those killed were a Hezbollah militant and a paramedic. The IDF said that airstrikes also struck a facility used by Hezbollah for storing weapons and other infrastructure sites in Kafr Kila. IDF firings were also reported from Shebaa and Rachaya Al Foukhar. A Hezbollah drone strike targeted an IDF site near Malkia. The IDF said that a drone was intercepted over Malkia where no injuries were reported.

On 6 August, Hezbollah said it targeted a building used by the IDF in Avivim with anti-tank missile. Hezbollah also said that it targeted an IDF site in Birkat Rasha with Burkan missiles. According to the IDF, a projectile fired from Lebanon was intercepted by the Israeli Air Force. An Israeli airstrike in a building used by Hezbollah in Mayfadoun killed five Hezbollah militants. At least 19 injuries including a serious one was reported in a Hezbollah drone strike which hit a highway in Mazra'a. Six of those injured were Israeli soldiers and others were civilians including a woman. According to the IDF, at least one of these injuries was due to malfunctioning of the Iron Dome. Hezbollah said that it targeted two IDF sites in Acre and an IDF vehicle. Hezbollah also stated that it targeted the headquarters of the Golani Brigade, an infantry brigade and headquarters of Egoz Unit in northern Israel with drone strikes.

On 7 August, Hezbollah fired rockets to Golan Heights. Hezbollah also launched other rocket strikes from southern Lebanon border. An Israeli airstrike in Jwaya killed at least one person and wounded four people. Two people were killed and six people were injured in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle in Jwaya. Hezbollah militants targeted an IDF outpost in Jal al-Allam, Israel with artillery shells.

On 8 August, IDF said that it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in Halta, Kfar Kila, Kunin and "removed a threat" in Leyda, southern Lebanon. IDF also said that it struck Hezbollah sites in Soujod,Bint Jbeil, Doueir and Majdal Zoun in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah also fired aerial targets to Golan Heights and Upper Galilee that were intercepted by Israeli missiles. The IDF claimed that a launcher used by Hezbollah to fire drones to Golan Heights was destroyed in the strike in Soujod. An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah militant and a civilian. At least three were wounded in an Israeli drone strike targeting a car on the road connecting Yarine and Jibbain. Hezbollah claimed that their drone strike targeting an IDF site in al-Marj wounded Israeli soldiers. According to Israeli Army Radio, 15 rockets were launched from southern Lebanon to Shlomi and Kabri. Israeli airstrikes struck Rashaf, Hadada, at-Tiri and Ayta ash Shab in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah confirmed the death of one of its militants who was injured earlier. It also claimed that their rocket strike directly hit Ramim barracks. At least 25 rockets were fired to northern Israel from Lebanon. Israeli artillery shells struck the source where the rockets were fired and another village in southern Lebanon.

On 9 August, IDF said that it struck Hezbollah headquarters in Hanaouay and infrastructure including a launcher used to fire rockets to Biranit in Ayta ash Shab. The IDF also said that missiles launched from Lebanon to Manara and Kiryat Shmona fell in open areas. Two were killed in an Israeli drone strike in Naqoura. An Israeli strike on a car in Sidon killed a Hamas official and wounded two civilians. Israel also struck a number of villages in Lebanon near their common border. Hezbollah claimed that they struck buildings used by Israeli soldiers in Dovev Barracks.

On 10 August, Israeli airstrikes struck a neighbourhood in Houla as well as some homes in Tayr Harfa and Majdel Selm. Two were wounded in Majdal Selm. Hezbollah claimed that it launched eight rocket and drone strikes to IDF sites including in Galilee, Eilon, Shebaa Farms and Kfarchouba. The group also claimed to have inflicted casualties in a drone strike in Michve Alon as a response to the assassination of the Hamas official on 9 August. The IDF confirmed damage due to a Hezbollah drone strike in northern Israel. Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah structures and operatives including in Ayta ash Shab, Khiam and Bilda. A Hezbollah drone strike targeted Israeli soldiers gathered near Birkat Rasha.

On 11 August, Hezbollah said that it fired four rockets into the vicinity of an IDF site in Mattat from southern Lebanon and inflicted casualties. Hezbollah claimed that it destroyed an Israeli spy equipment in its strike on an IDF site in Ruwaisaat al-Alam in occupied Kfarchouba. Israeli airstrikes struck Taybeh, Meiss Ej Jabal, Muhajbib and Kfarchouba. Two were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Taybeh. Four were injured in an Israeli strike in Maaroub. Israeli airstrikes also struck a Hezbollah weapon depot in Derdghaiya and some buildings in Kfar Kila and Jebbayn. Hezbollah also fired rockets from southern Lebanon and it hit open areas. Hezbollah confirmed death of their three militants. Hezbollah said that it fired nine strikes to IDF sites in Israel and claimed that an artillery shell strike hit a gathering of Israeli soldiers near border.

On 12 August, Hezbollah fired 30 Katyusha rockets targeting new headquarters of IDF's 146th Division in Ga'aton and a number of rockets hit open areas without causing injuries. IDF said that it struck the sources of rocket strikes. An Israeli interceptor missile which tried to intercept Hezbollah rockets fell on the roof of a home in Avdon and it caused damage to the roof. Hezbollah said that it targeted a surveillance equipment at an IDF site near Metula and claimed that it was destroyed in the strike. Three were wounded in an Israeli strike in Kfar Kila. IDF strikes also targeted various locations in southern Lebanon.

Casualties and damage

Lebanon

The olive trade in southern Lebanon, which is the main source of income for many, was halted as farmers stopped their harvests in fear of the active shelling. According to Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan, 40,000 olive trees have been burned down by fires caused by IDF shelling. The ministry has also said that 790 hectares of agricultural land have been damaged and 340 thousand farm animals have been lost. In total, the IDF has caused US$3 billion of agriculture losses. The Institute of International Finance predicted that Lebanon's GDP could decline by one percent by the end of 2023 and by 30 percent in 2024 in the event of further spillover of the war. According to the Council for the South, Israeli strikes have destroyed 1,700 buildings and damaged 14,000 others and caused around 500 million dollars worth of damage on water, electricity, telecoms and other infrastructure.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 90,000 Lebanese were displaced from their homes. On 5 February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, said that around 100,000 were displaced in Lebanon. As of 2 May 2024, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health reported that 1,359 people had been wounded. As of 29 May 2024, according to OCHA, 88 Lebanese civilians have been killed including 39 women and children, three journalists and 19 militia-linked first responders.

At least 320 militants have been killed in Lebanon, including 250 Hezbollah members, including at least 40 in Syria, 25 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members, one Amal Movement member, and one SSNP member. One Lebanese Army soldier was killed and three others were injured. Seven UNIFL workers and peacekeepers were injured in numerous attacks by both Israel and Lebanese militias.

Israel

At least 65,000 civilians have been displaced in a mass evacuation from northern Israel. Ten Israeli civilians and 14 soldiers have been killed. On 5 November, two Israeli civilians were killed. One was killed when anti-tank missiles hit the Yiftah kibbutz and another in Kiryat Shmona. Four UAVs were shot down over Lebanon: two Hermes 450 and two Hermes 900 models.

A letter sent on 28 December 2023 to the President of the Security Council from Israel's UN Permanent Representative stated that “attacks have already led to the deaths of five civilians and 11 soldiers, and to the injuries of 41 civilians and 127 soldiers”. As of February 2024, more than 500 homes in northern Israel have been reported damaged by Hezbollah according to reports received by the IDF. Hundreds of other cases in towns like Arab Al-Aramsheh, Menara and Metula remain unassessed due to security issues for inspection.

War crimes

Killing of Lebanese civilians

On 5 November, an Israeli airstrike hit a car near Ainata, Lebanon, killing three children and their grandmother, and injuring their mother. The Israeli military admitted to striking the vehicle. Human Rights Watch stated that their killings should be investigated as an apparent war crime. Najib Mikati, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister, called the attack a "heinous crime" and said that Lebanon would file a complaint to the UN Security Council.

Killing of Israeli civilians

The elimination of the State of Israel has been a primary goal for Hezbollah. Hezbollah has been accused of "only [regarding] the Jews living in Israel as Zionists, who should be killed". Throughout the war Hezbollah announces the targeting of civilian homes. The most notable of the attacks in 2023 was on 12 November, when a Hezbollah anti-tank missile killed an employee of the Israel Electric Corporation who was conducting repair work and injured 21 other Israelis, including seven IDF soldiers and six other employees of the Israeli Electric Corporation.

Targeting of journalists

Main article: Attacks on journalists during the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)

According to the Council of Europe, the intentional targeting of journalists constitutes a war crime. During the conflict, Reporters Without Borders claimed that the Israeli army had deliberately targeted journalists. A Reporters Without Borders (RSF) investigation said that Israel had targeted journalists in missile strikes on 13 October that killed Reuters reporter Issam Abdallah and injured four others. These two Israeli missile strikes, 30 seconds apart, hit a group of seven journalists in southern Lebanon who were reporting on the border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In a video, the journalists are seen wearing vests and helmets identifying them as "PRESS". The marking was also present on the roof of their car, which exploded after being hit by the second missile. The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, which tests and analyses munitions and weapons, assisted Reuters by examining the material collected at the site of the explosion and found that the piece of metal was the fin of a 120 mm tank round fired 1.34 km away from the border fired from a smoothbore tank gun.

On 26 December, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile impacted near a Channel 13 News team while interviewing they were a farmer at Dovev, in an article following a prior Hezbollah assault that killed a 56-year-old employee of the Israel Electric Corporation, and injured five workers who were repairing electric lines.

Hezbollah's use of human shields

There have been claims that Hezbollah has intentionally drawn fire to Christian areas in southern Lebanon. Christians in the town of Rmaich clashed with Hezbollah due to the organization's attempts to establish military infrastructure in the town. The residents also wrote a complaint letter. On 26 March 2024, civilians in Rmeich confronted militants and rang their church bells after Hezbollah attempted to place rocket launchers in the town. Hezbollah denied trying to fire rockets from Rmiech.

On 16 October 20 rocket launchers were discovered by the Lebanese Army in the towns of Al-Qlaileh and Chaaitiyeh which have been suspected to be a part of Hezbollah infrastructure. Four reportedly had rockets inside of them and were ready to be fired. They were immediately dismantled by the Lebanese Army.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement has used civilian organizations as a cover-up for there military activities. According to IDF's Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, Hezbollah-run yellow ambulances have been used to transport fighters and weapons. The Islamic Health Authority's website says it has "provided services for the activity of the Hezbollah fighters against the Zionist occupation." According to UNIFIL, Hezbollah has used the environmental NGO "Green Without Borders" to provide direct cover for Hezbollah's military operations by "unlawful construction of military outposts along the Blue Line."

IDF's use of white phosphorus

On 31 October, after an investigation, Amnesty International stated that an Israeli white phosphorus attack on 16 October was indiscriminate, unlawful, and "must be investigated as a war crime", due to its use on the populated Lebanese town of Dhayra, which injured at least nine civilians. On 2 November, Amnesty International stated its investigations into four incidents on 10, 11, 16 and 17 October showed Israel had used white phosphorus munitions. The claim was confirmed by the Washington Post, which identified two white phosphorus shell casings made in the US. Human Rights Watch verified IDF's use of white phosphorus in at least 17 municipalities in Lebanon, including five municipalities where airburst munitions were used over residential areas. It also called on the Lebanese government to file a declaration to enable investigations in the International Criminal Court.

In southern Lebanon, Israel's white phosphorus bombs have destroyed over 4.5 million square meters of forest with economic loses being valued at nearly US$20 million. The American University of Beirut estimated use of white phosphorus has led to more than 134 forest fires as of June 2024 burning 1,500 hectares of land. As of 28 May, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said that exposure to white phosphorus had injured at least 173 people.

Targeting of medical and religious sites

The targeting of hospitals, as well as religious sites, constitutes a war crime.

The IDF shelled Meiss Ej Jabal Hospital, injuring a doctor on 10 November. The missiles did not explode but caused damage to the emergency department and several cars. Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health condemned the attack, saying that "Israeli authorities were fully responsible for this unjustifiable act, which would have led to catastrophic results", and called for an investigation. Days before, four people were reportedly injured after an Israeli bombing that hit two ambulances. The Lebanese National News Agency said that an Israeli drone strike hit two ambulances belonging to the Risala Scout Association, which is affiliated with the Amal Movement.

On 26 December 2023, an anti-tank missile shot by Hezbollah fighters from Lebanon damaged a shed in a church compound in Iqrit, but not the church itself, wounding an elderly civilian. As IDF troops and medical services were working to evacuate him, they were hit by further missiles, which resulted in nine soldiers being wounded, one of them seriously.

On 11 January 2024, the IDF conducted strikes in the town of Hanine and targeted an emergency center affiliated with the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Authority. The attack killed two workers from the rescue force and destroyed an ambulance. Other attacks on Islamic Health Authority centers occurred in Kafr Kila, Odaisseh and Blida killed 7 paramedic and rescue workers and destroyed 17 ambulances.

On 27 March 2024, an Israeli airstrike targeted a paramedic center affiliated with the Islamic Group in Hebbariye, killing seven volunteer paramedics. The airstrike was condemned by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Later in the day, Israeli airstrikes in Tayr Harfa killed two paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, while strikes in Naqoura killed one from the Amal Movement-affiliated Islamic Risala Scout Association. On 7 May 2024, the Human Rights Watch declared the 27 March incident as an unlawful attack on civilians and said that they did not find any evidence of military targets at the site that was targeted. Investigations also showed that the IDF used an MPR 500 missile to conduct the raid.

On 27 May 2024, an Israeli airstrike near Salah Ghandour Hospital in Bint Jbeil killed three civilians. WHO in Lebanon condemned the attack and called for the protection of hospitals and healthcare workers.

Reactions

Secretary Blinken meets with Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Amman, Jordan.

As a result of the fighting, Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa suspended flights to Beirut, while Lebanon's flag carrier Middle East Airlines relocated five of its 24 aircraft to Istanbul as a precaution. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom advised against travelling to Lebanon, whilst the British embassy withdrew family members of its staff.

On 4 November, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked prime minister Najib Mikati during a meeting in Amman "in preventing Lebanon from being pulled into a war that the Lebanese people do not want".

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that France would donate dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese military to help it carry out patrol missions.

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed concern about Israel's role in ongoing tensions with Lebanon.

Since June 2024, the foreign ministries of Canada, Kuwait, Germany, the Netherlands and North Macedonia issued statements urging their citizens to leave Lebanon due to fears of an escalation of the conflict. The Canadian Armed Forces said that it was planning to evacuate its 20,000 citizens from Lebanon in the event of an escalation, although it would require support from its allies.

Lebanon

After the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion in Gaza, pro-Palestinian protestors took part in riots in the towns of Dbayeh and Aoukar. Businesses were vandalized and torched.

On 6 November, in response to the killing of four civilians in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced that his government would submit an urgent complaint to the UN Security Council against Israel saying that its "targeting of civilians in its aggression against Lebanon" was a "heinous crime".

Palestinians in Shatila refugee camp, Beirut told Al Jazeera that they would fight on the side of Hezbollah and the Axis of Resistance in a war against Israel, but worried for their families and civilians as they feared that Israel would deliberately target densely populated civilian areas.

Opposition to Hezbollah and Hamas

Samir Geagea @DrSamirGeagea

The most important thing is not to involve the Lebanese in anything that they cannot deal with, in light of the difficult situation they are experiencing.

7 October 2023

As tensions heightened on 8 October near the Lebanese border, former prime minister Fouad Siniora stressed that Lebanon should not be involved "in any hostilities with the Israeli enemy".

Between 7–9 October, many politicians of long established Christian parties in Lebanon took a stance against Hezbollah's involvement as well. Pierre Bou Assi, a member of the Lebanese Forces' Strong Republic bloc highlighted the kidnapping of two IDF soldiers which led to the 2006 Lebanon war saying, "Hassan Nasrallah promised, in early July, that the summer would be quiet and thriving—but a few days later, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and the July war broke out". The Kataeb Party took a similar stance and condemned the use of Lebanese territory by non-state actors for launching attacks on Israel.

Screens at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport were hacked allegedly by the Christian group Jnoud al-Rab to display an anti-Hezbollah message. Jnoud al-Rab denied any involvement.

On 28 January 2024, Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, Maronite Patriarch and head of the Maronite Church, stated that residents of southern Lebanon refuse to be used as "sacrificial lambs" in what he described as a "culture of death", implicitly referencing Hezbollah's border activities. He described the hardships faced by the people, including psychological strain and disrupted education for children, and said they refuse to be hostages or human shields.

On 4 December 2023, Hamas announced the organization's official establishment in Lebanon. The Lebanon-based unit was named the “al-Aqsa Flood Vanguards unit”. The establishment of the Vanguards during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel faced severe criticism from various political figures and factions within Lebanon. Many argued that such an organization, with potential military implications, could infringe upon Lebanon's sovereignty and violate international resolutions, particularly the Taif Agreement. Critics, including members of the Christian Lebanese Forces Party and other political figures, voiced concerns about a potential recurrence of historical issues related to armed Palestinian factions operating from Lebanese territory.

Iraq

Main article: Israel–Hamas war § Iraq

On 9 January, the Kata'ib Hezbollah spokesperson Jafar al-Husseini warned that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq would help Hezbollah fight Israel if war erupted between the two sides. This statement was a few weeks after the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a Karish rig which Lebanon claims to hold sovereignty to. On 23 June 2024, the spokesperson to Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada Kadhem al-Fartousi said the brigade will join Hezbollah's side if Israel decides to launch a full-blown war in Lebanon.

On 24 June, Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, stated in a televised speech that if the US continued to support Israel in expanding the war to Lebanon and Hezbollah, the group would begin to attack US interests in Iraq and the Middle East.

Other incidents

On 8 November 2023, two men were arrested by Brazilian police in São Paulo following a warning from the Mossad that Hezbollah was planning an attack against the country's Jewish community. Searches were also conducted in Brasilia and Minas Gerais in connection with the alleged plot.

Humanitarian response

The Lebanon Humanitarian Fund launched its reserve allocation that includes up to four million US dollars to support its partners to help aid those who have been displaced or still in conflict zones.

See also

• List of projectile attacks from Lebanon on Israel and the Golan Heights
• Outline of the Israel–Hamas war
• Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon
• Hamas in Lebanon
• 2023 Israel–Lebanon shellings