Analysis: The impact of Israeli operations on Hezbollah’s organizational structure
A breakdown of the Hezbollah officials Israel has assassinated, those who remain, and the impact on the organization and its durability.
Tag Archives: Israel
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.
Israel’s defense minister meets IDF armored brigade in northern Israel as wider war looms
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with IDF troops from the 188th Armored Brigade. Israeli officials, such as Gallant, and senior commanders have been meeting with IDF troops deployed in the north over the past week, hinting that a ground operation could begin against Hezbollah.
Analysis: Bahraini militias eulogize slain Hezbollah leader
Saraya al-Ashtar and Saraya Wa’ad Allah, two Iranian-backed militias in Bahrain, issued a statement expressing condolences for the death of Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike and calling for vengeance.
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 chief Hassan Nasrallah eliminated in Beirut airstrike
The Israeli military and Hezbollah have both acknowledged the death of Hassan Nasrallah following an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday.
Analysis: Erdogan’s private military company looks to raise an Islamist army
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aims to play a central role in post-war Gaza. However, the West should closely scrutinize Turkey’s involvement, especially given Erdogan’s reliance on SADAT, Turkey’s premier private military company, and its Islamist ideology and ties to terrorist organizations.
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.
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.
Israel hits Hezbollah again as top general vows to deliver “blow after blow” against the group
The Israel Defense Forces launched wide-ranging airstrikes on Hezbollah after previously carrying out a strike in Beirut that eliminated 16 of the group’s top commanders. More than 150 Israel Air Force warplanes participated in the attacks, and Hezbollah launched more than 150 rockets, missiles, and drones at Israel during roughly the same period.
Analysis: Nasrallah throws down the gauntlet to save face for twin telecommunications attacks
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s speech on Thursday afternoon was a difficult exercise in damage control after Israel’s attacks on September 17 and 18.
Analysis: Israel humbles Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah
After a week of exploding pagers and radios, Israel carried out a significant and successful strike targeting Hezbollah military leaders in Beirut.
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 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 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.
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.
Analysis: Hezbollah’s Vengeance for Shukr was a propaganda exercise from start to Nasrallah’s speech
Hezbollah’s promised retaliation after Israel killed Fuad Shukr on July 31 finally came this Sunday. But the great vengeance promised by Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah turned out to be a flop. Nasrallah’s subsequent speech after Hezbollah’s attack was a transparent exercise in damage control.
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 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 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.
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.
Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank
FDD’s Long War Journal has identified 26 West Bank branches belonging to established terrorist organizations and two independent armed groups, mapped and detailed on an interactive visual.
Hezbollah continues attacks as IDF brigade drills for conflict in the north
An Israeli reserve brigade completed an exercise to prepare for conflict in the north. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on September 8, and the group claimed to be responding to an IDF strike on a village in southern Lebanon. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited northern Israel and met with the commander of an IDF division in the Golan on September 6.
IDF division eliminates 200 terrorists in the Rafah area
The Israel Defense Forces’ 162nd Division eliminated 200 terrorists in battles near Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza during the last week of August. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep control of the key area to prevent Hamas from re-arming.
Hezbollah escalates attacks with over 100 rockets fired in a day
Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets targeting Israel on September 4, the largest barrage in almost two weeks. The group has continued its daily attacks against northern Israel amid reports that the Israeli government is in talks with the US about seeking to reduce tensions. In addition, the Italian chief of the defense staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, visited Israel on September 4 for meetings with IDF counterparts.
IDF officers take on new roles as Gaza in political focus
The IDF’s Gaza Division, which faced the brunt of Hamas’s attack on October 7 and will play a key role in the future security of the border, received a new commander on September 2. The IDF’s head of Ground Forces resigned on September 3. The leadership changes come as Israel intends to maintain control over the Philadelphi Corridor.
Analysis: Responding forcefully to the Axis of Resistance
As soon as the Islamic Republic of Iran was established, it effectively declared war on Israel and the West. International appeasement of Iran has failed, and the current crisis in the Middle East has clarified that a more forceful Western policy is required now to forestall a more dangerous confrontation a few years later.
Top Israeli officials focus on northern front, returning Israelis to communities
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a strategic discussion with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi on August 29 and discussed the need to return Israeli citizens to their homes in northern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to northern Israel on August 28 and said the nation must restore security and return residents to their homes. “This is a national goal of the highest order,” Netanyahu said.
Israeli military launches extensive operation against West Bank terrorist groups
The Israeli military launched an extensive operation in the West Bank on Tuesday aimed at degrading infrastructure established by terrorist groups in the territory.