On August 20, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced recovering the bodies of six hostages in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. In addition, Israeli forces found a tunnel in Gaza that stretches for more than a mile.
Hezbollah attacked northern Israel with rockets and drones on August 15, including firing around 20 rockets at the Shamir area. The IDF said a majority of the incoming threats were intercepted. Hezbollah described the attack as an increase in its range inside Israel, and the Iranian-backed terrorist group also continued to threaten broader attacks in retaliation for an IDF airstrike in Beirut in July.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called on Palestinian civilians to evacuate several neighborhoods in southern Gaza after receiving continued rocket fire and detecting terrorist activity. Hamas attempted to target Tel Aviv with two long-range rockets on August 13. The IDF struck 30 targets in Gaza between August 10 and 11, and the continued fighting in southern Gaza comes amid Iran’s threats to target Israel in a broader attack.
Following the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, Hamas announced the selection of Yahya Sinwar as the group’s head on August 6.
Iran’s regime arrested dozens of intelligence officers who may have been responsible for the security breach that led to Haniyeh’s assassination. The IRGC’s sole control over the investigation into the incident and the regime’s contradictory reporting further demonstrate various parties are intentionally crafting differing narratives to deflect blame and avoid being seen as incompetent.
The Israeli Security Agency (ISA) and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on August 1 that a July 13 airstrike had successfully killed Hamas’ military commander, Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, also known as Muhammed Deif.
The Israel Defense Forces targeted a building in Beirut and eliminated senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr on July 30. In the early hours of July 31, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran. Israel did not take credit for the latter killing, but Iran and its proxies have blamed Israel and vowed to respond, and Israel is preparing for possible attacks.
Haniyeh represented Hamas in high-stakes negotiations and was one of the key public faces of the Palestinian terrorist group.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut Tuesday evening, killing Fuad Shukr, a top Lebanese Hezbollah commander.
The IDF’s 98th Division wrapped up a week-long battle in Khan Younis against Hamas. The division recovered the bodies of five hostages, and the IDF said it eliminated an estimated 150 terrorists. The week-long operation is one of several raids the IDF has launched since May to eliminate militants who returned to previously cleared areas.
Israel’s defense minister and chief of staff held meetings with IDF officials and officers in the IDF’s Northern Command to discuss plans for possible operations against Hezbollah after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 civilians in Majdal Shams on July 27. Despite Hezbollah’s denials about the attack, the IDF presented new evidence of the trajectory of the rocket and its type on July 28. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to Israel to meet with the security cabinet to decide Israel’s next steps.
Israel’s 228th Reserve Brigade conducted an exercise in northern Israel that included “combat scenarios in Lebanon.” Hezbollah published footage it said was taken by drones that flew over Israel’s Ramat David Airbase.
An Israeli drone strike on Tuesday morning in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm killed two West Bank commanders belonging to Hamas and al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began a new operation in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis due to Hamas activity and rocket fire from the area. The IDF’s 98th Division led the raid with tanks, paratroopers, and commandos. The IDF also announced the deaths of two more Israeli hostages in Gaza and asked civilians to evacuate western Khan Younis.
Hezbollah increased attacks on Israel amid an escalation of Houthi-Israel tensions that grew after the Houthis attacked Tel Aviv with a drone, killing one person, and IDF retaliatory strikes. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said, “The blood of Israeli citizens has a price.”
Houthis in Yemen claimed responsibility for launching a long-range UAV that killed one person and injured at least 10 others in Tel Aviv on Friday morning.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out precision airstrikes on several Hamas members in Gaza and targets in Lebanon. Israeli forces also eliminated a Hezbollah member in a Lebanon strike, part of a growing pattern of targeting individual terrorists. In addition, the IDF said an RPG attack in Gaza wounded a soldier.
Israel’s Minister of Defense recently held important talks with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, CENTCOM head General Michael Kurilla, and White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk. Gallant spelled out Israel’s current strategy in Gaza and discussed threats from Iran and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah escalated attacks on Israel on July 13, followed by somewhat reducing attacks over the next two days. The IDF responded with a series of precision airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in Tebnit, Rab El Thalathine, Ayta ash Shab, Odaisseh, Kfarkela, and Houla in southern Lebanon. In addition, two IDF units conducted training in northern Israel in case of further escalation.
The Israel Defense Forces targeted Hamas armed forces commander Mohammed Dief and Hamas Khan Younis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh on July 13. On July 14, the IDF assessed that Salameh was killed in the strike and continued attempting to determine the fate of Deif.
An Israeli airstrike on July 13 targeted Hamas military leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, aka Muhammed Deif, and Khan Yunis Brigade commander Rafa’a Salameh. The pair were targeted above ground in an area between al-Massawi and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Israeli forces launched a new offensive in Gaza City. The IDF’s 99th Division targeted terrorists, operatives, and weapons in several neighborhoods after calling on civilians to evacuate toward the south. In addition, Israeli forces continued to operate in Shejaiya, uncovering weapons and munitions.
Hezbollah launched several barrages of rockets and anti-tank missiles at Israel on July 7. The attacks injured several people, including an IDF soldier, an Israeli civilian farmer, and a US citizen. Israel’s Minister of Defense visited Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights and said Hezbollah has lost 15 senior commanders, including three division commanders, in fighting over the last nine months.
Hezbollah increased its attacks on northern Israel with barrages on June 27 and June 28. It also carried out a series of drone attacks on June 30, injuring 18 IDF soldiers, one of them severely. The IDF responded to the attacks with a series of airstrikes on half a dozen locations in southern Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces launched a new offensive into the northern Gaza neighborhood of Shejaiya, an area the IDF previously cleared of Hamas terrorists in December 2023 during the first ground maneuvers of the campaign. This raid and similar ones aim to defeat returning Hamas terrorists and find Israeli hostages.
Israel-Hezbollah tensions increased on June 18 and June 19. Hezbollah released drone footage showing sites in northern Israel, and the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, threatened Cyprus and warned it against letting the IDF use its bases. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi HaLevi and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held discussions with Israel’s Northern Command to discuss the situation.
The Israeli Navy took delivery of the INS Komemiyut, a new logistics support vessel (LSV), on June 16, the second of these new landing craft in the past year. The vessels are capable of transporting troops and large vehicles, expanding Israel’s operational range and joint-operations capability.
Palestinian terrorist groups fighting in Lebanon continue to lose fighters to Israeli strikes as Islamic Jihad claims the death of a member on Saturday.
Three years into the uptick of violence in the West Bank, Palestinian terrorist groups continue to operate against Israeli targets and are growing more sophisticated.
Hezbollah launched more than 215 rockets at Israel from Lebanon on June 12, its largest escalation of the war. The attacks came in the wake of Israel eliminating senior Hezbollah commander Taleb Sami Abdullah on June 11. The terrorist group also targeted areas along the Sea of Galilee in some of the deepest attacks it’s carried out since October 2023. In Gaza, the IDF’s 98th Division completed operations in central Gaza, and the IDF continues to operate in Rafah.