The Israeli Air Force conducted numerous air strikes against Hezbollah on September 21 and September 22. The strikes capped a week in which Israel has sought to take the initiative on the northern front against the group. After 11 months and more than 8,000 attacks by the Iranian-backed terrorist organization, Israel has shifted from proportional responses to wide-ranging strikes against Hezbollah’s leadership and rocket launchers.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on September 22 that more than 150 warplanes were used in strikes on Hezbollah in over 40 hours of operations. The IDF eliminated Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and 15 more of the group’s commanders in a strike on September 20. In the wake of that attack, the IDF increased the tempo of strikes for two days. Hezbollah struggled to respond but eventually found its footing on the morning of September 22, launching its longest-range attack in 11 months, targeting sites and communities east of the Israeli city of Haifa. One rocket landed in Kiryat Bialik north of Haifa, causing damage to a number of apartments and wounding several people.
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi laid out Israel’s goals in a statement on September 22. “The IDF has recently raised its readiness to the highest level,” he said. The IDF’s strike on Aqil and key commanders of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force had shaken the organization, the Israeli general said. “For years, these commanders had been making plans to conquer the Galilee, and they are responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians as well as soldiers over the years.”
Halevi went on to say that the strike on Aqil that killed Hezbollah leaders had harmed the group “greatly” and sent a message to the entire region and beyond that the IDF can get to those who threaten Israel. This is a key message as Israel seeks to reestablish deterrence after Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, and the multi-front conflict and threats that have followed it.
In addition to the IDF’s long war in Gaza, where Hamas continues to control part of Gaza, Iranian-backed groups continue attacking Israel from other fronts. For instance, beyond Hezbollah’s attacks, the Houthis in Yemen launched a long-range missile at central Israel on September 15. Iraqi militias launched a drone that reached Israeli airspace on September 18 and launched cruise missiles at Israel on September 22.
The IDF has been carrying out a large number of proportional and precision strikes on Hezbollah since Hezbollah’s attacks began in October. Many of these strikes have hit terrorist infrastructure, and they have also killed around 450 Hezbollah members. Since September 17, when exploding pagers injured thousands of Hezbollah members and killed roughly two dozen, the group’s death toll has rapidly increased. Hezbollah had lost two division commanders before the September 20 attack; however, it never lost so many commanders simultaneously.
“We are pushing Hezbollah away from the border, which threatens Israeli citizens—those who live near the border and want to know that it will not be there longer. We have eliminated over 600 terrorists, dozens of whom were from Hezbollah’s top military leadership. The price Hezbollah is paying is growing, and our strikes will intensify,” Halevi said. It was not clear how the air strikes alone would push Hezbollah back from the border. However, Israel’s top general vowed to deliver “blow after blow” until Hezbollah “understands” and withdraws from the area. He hinted at new stages coming after the week of strikes that began on September 17.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited an Israel Air Force command-and-control center and echoed Halevi’s comments. “I came to see the IAF’s activities up close—the result is extremely impressive in both defense and offense, at all levels. Hezbollah has begun experiencing the impact of the IDF’s capabilities, and they sense that they are being pursued,” he said. He also vowed that the new phase of operations would enable Israelis evacuated in October 2023 to return to their homes.
Overnight between September 21 and September 22, the IDF struck 290 targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah launched 150 rockets, cruise missiles, and drones at Israel over roughly the same period, according to the IDF. More attacks followed, including another 115 projectiles launched by Hezbollah early on September 22 and dozens more throughout the morning. In northern Israel, the Home Front Command released new guidelines for Israeli communities east and north of Haifa, restricting the size of gatherings and sending children home to do remote learning while the conflict escalates.
