Tag Archives: Israel

IDF troops in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah anti-tank and rocket fire strike northern Israel; Halevi visits Lebanon front

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi visited Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon on October 10. He reviewed how the IDF is operating against Hezbollah in Lebanese villages near the border from where Hezbollah has threatened Israel with rockets over the past year. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on October 11 that two of its peacekeepers were wounded in Lebanon. Hezbollah fired 190 projectiles into Israel on October 10.


Israel eliminated Nasrallah’s successor

Israel announced that it killed Hashem Safieddine, the likely successor to Hezbollah’s longtime Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Safieddine was a veteran Hezbollah leader, and the group has suffered significant losses to its leadership cadre.


Nova Music Festival massacre anniversary commemoration

Israel faces attacks on multiple fronts on the anniversary of the October 7 attack

Israel commemorated the anniversary of the October 7 massacre as Hamas fired more than 135 rockets at southern and central Israel, Iraqi militias targeted Israel with drones, and the Houthis launched a long-range missile at central Israel. The IDF’s top general met with the head of US Central Command on October 6. A third IDF division began operations in Lebanon as the Israeli Air Force hit 120 Hezbollah targets.


Iran targets in Israel graphic

Analysis: Iran threatens Israeli civil and nuclear infrastructure on October 7 anniversary

On the anniversary of the October 7 terrorist attack, the Islamic Republic has pledged to target Israeli cities and critical infrastructure while US and Israeli officials consider their options in response to Tehran’s second ballistic missile assault. With Israel’s air defense capabilities demonstrating superiority over Iranian missiles and the military setbacks suffered by the regime’s proxies, Tehran has increasingly diminished its leverage over Jerusalem. This shifting dynamic offers Israel a strategic opportunity to target the regime’s nuclear facilities, addressing the primary existential threat it faces.


IDF tank

IDF returns to northern Gaza’s Jabaliya neighborhood

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new operation in northern Gaza directed at Hamas terrorists in Jabliya, an area the IDF has cleared three times during the war. The new operation, launched as Israel prepares for the anniversary of the October 7 attack, began after the Israeli military detected evidence that Hamas was seeking to rebuild its forces there.


Houthis

Analysis: The Houthis’ leadership structure

The Houthis in Yemen have an extensive leadership hierarchy. FDD’s Long War Journal lists some of the leaders of the organization, their roles, and if they have been sanctioned by the United States government.


IDF Etzioni Brigade in southern Lebanon

IDF suffers first casualties in Lebanon as 2nd Division begins ops

The Israeli military suffered its first casualties in southern Lebanon battles with Hezbollah on October 2. Eight soldiers were killed in one incident and a ninth in a second clash, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reports from October 2 and October 3. The IDF struck approximately 200 Hezbollah targets and estimated it eliminated 60 of the group’s members. During the same two days, Hezbollah launched 360 projectiles at Israel. In addition, the IDF downed several drone threats off the coast. Two Israeli divisions, the 98th and the 36th, are now operating in southern Lebanon.



IDF raid into Lebanon

IDF begins Lebanon ground operation, Iran launches 180 ballistic missiles at Israel

The Israel Defense (IDF) Forces began a ground operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, led by the IDF’s 98th Division. The IDF described the offensive as “localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.” Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, while Hezbollah fired rocket barrages at northern and central Israel.




Yoav Gallant

Israel strikes targets on multiple fronts

The IDF carried out airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Hudaydah using dozens of aircraft. An Israeli missile ship intercepted a UAV launched at Israel, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq took credit for the attack. Israeli forces in Gaza uncovered a tunnel. Hezbollah carried out numerous rocket attacks on Israel on September 29, and the IDF continued strikes on the terrorist group. The IDF confirmed that more than 20 Hezbollah members were eliminated in the September 27 strike which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.




Hezbollah flag

Analysis: Tehran’s damage control tactics amidst Hezbollah’s setbacks

The Iranian regime’s current strategy seems focused on damage control, as it believes maintaining a foundation allows it to eventually regain influence in southern Lebanon. The Islamic Republic aims to create an image of total warfare through a series of calculated proxy attacks. This approach not only projects strength to its supporters but also bets on the possibility that the United States will pressure Israel to stop its strikes against Iranian militias.


Smoke in southern Lebanon after IDF strikes

Israel strikes more than 1,300 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force struck 1,300 Hezbollah targets with 1,400 munitions on September 23. The strikes were the largest since Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel in October 2023. Hezbollah launched long-range rockets at Israel, targeting Haifa and areas close to central Israel for the first time in 11 months. Israel’s Defense Minister said “tens of thousands of rockets have been destroyed” in the IDF strikes on Hezbollah, decreasing the Iranian-backed terrorist group’s arsenal.





Gallant meeting

Israel prepared for Hezbollah response after Beirut strike

On September 19, the IDF asked residents of several northern towns and the city of Safed to adhere to special restrictions due to possible escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon. On September 20, the IDF lifted the restrictions, even as Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut that eliminated a Hezbollah leader and key Hezbollah commanders. The IDF Chief of Staff met with the head of the IDF’s Northern Command and IDF Division commanders, while Israel’s Minister of Defense also held key meetings about Israel’s new initiatives against Hezbollah.


IDF soldiers training

IDF prepares for possible Hezbollah escalation after pager op in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) head of Northern Command said the IDF is at “peak readiness” amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah. After thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded on September 17, more devices exploded on September 18. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi visited Israel’s Northern Command, and the IDF deployed its elite 98th Division to the north amid tensions.


Analysis: Large-scale attack targets Hezbollah fighters

Pagers assigned to members of the Lebanese group exploded on September 17, injuring more than 2,500 people and causing an undetermined number of deaths. A significant Israeli assault that has potentially injured thousands of Hezbollah fighters is unlikely to go unanswered.


IDF infantry brigade Gaza

IDF rotates reserve infantry brigade to Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed the 5th Brigade to central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor, according to an IDF statement on September 16. The reserve infantry brigade recently completed training in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, in which it prepared for ground operations on the kind of terrain it will face in central Gaza. Deploying reserve units has become routine as the IDF rotates forces into central Gaza.


Hochstein meets with Gallant

Israel inches closer to decision on northern operation against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant met with Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor to President Joe Biden. Both indicated that Israel was nearing a decision to act with more military force against Hezbollah after 11 months of attacks that have forced 60,000 Israelis to evacuate from their homes. Hezbollah continued to carry out attacks on September 16, targeting numerous areas in northern Israel.



Fire northern Israel

IDF’s multi-front challenge: From Rafah to Lebanon

The IDF said it had dismantled the Rafah Brigade of Hamas on September 12, and over four months of fighting, an estimated 2,000 terrorists were killed in Rafah and its environs. Thirteen kilometers of Hamas tunnels, divided into a total of 203 tunnels, were found and destroyed by the IDF. Hezbollah increased its attacks on Israel on September 12 and September 13. Barrages of rockets targeted Safed and Israeli communities near the Mediterranean coastline, sparking fires.


IDF drone footage

IDF targets Hezbollah’s Radwan Force commander

Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at Israel in several barrages on September 10 and 11. The IDF responded with strikes on numerous locations in southern Lebanon, targeting terrorist infrastructure and killing two Hezbollah members, including a commander in the group’s Radwan force. An IDF reservist was wounded by an anti-tank missile.


IDF troops in Gaza

IDF focuses on eliminating Hamas commanders

The IDF carried out an airstrike on three Hamas commanders who had set up a command-and-control center in the humanitarian zone in Gaza, the IDF said on September 10. In addition, the IDF targeted a Hamas battalion commander and three of his company commanders in southern Gaza. The strikes illustrate a wider campaign by the IDF to target Hamas’ remaining command-and-control centers.


IDF tank

Rockets fired at Ashkelon from Gaza as IDF continues Gaza operations

Two rockets were fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon from Gaza. The IDF operated in the Zeitoun neighborhood near Gaza City to eliminate terrorist threats. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Netzarim Corridor on September 8 and vowed the IDF would eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. In southern Gaza, the IDF continued to clash with Hamas terrorists in Rafah and carried out airstrikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets.