Hamas and Islamic Jihad took credit for a suicide bombing attack in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening. In the aftermath, Palestinian social media became rife with propaganda lauding the bomber and encouraging copycat attacks against Israeli civilians.
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.
Despite Israel’s precision strike on a radar facility in Isfahan on April 19 and the recent assassination of Hamas Political Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Iran remains undeterred from picking a fight with conventionally superior and even nuclear-armed states. For a regime that has perfected the art of proxy warfare, the Islamic Republic is increasingly seeing the political utility of overt and attributable conflict in the Middle East.
A speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary general of Hezbollah, suggests Hezbollah intends to conduct painful retaliation for Fuad Shukur’s assassination but that the organization is still not interested in escalating to a full-scale conflict with Israel. When it comes, the retaliatory strike will likely aim to remain below the threshold that leads to the outbreak of war.
Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets targeting the western Galilee on the evening of August 1. Iran and Hezbollah have vowed to retaliate against Israel for the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The IDF continues to operate in Gaza, targeting Hamas operatives hiding in a school and a man the IDF accused of being a terrorist who used journalism work as a cover.
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.
Rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 Israeli civilians in the northern Druze town of Majdal Shams on July 27, and Israel cites evidence that Hezbollah is responsible, while the group issued a denial. Israel will undoubtedly retaliate, and a significant escalation in the conflict is likely.
Iran signed a new arms agreement with Armenia, seeking to increase its influence in the Caucuses and counter Israel-Azerbaijan military ties.
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.
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.”
In response to the Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv yesterday, the Israeli Air Force carried out strikes against Houthi targets in Hudeydah, Yemen.
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 Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, an ally of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations, announced that it has disavowed Liwa al-Tawhid, a longtime affiliate. While the reasons for the split are not clear, the division may present an opportunity for Israeli anti-terrorism efforts.
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.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the first of a number of inquiries into the failures during the battles against Hamas terrorists in communities along the border of Gaza on October 7, 2023. The first inquiry focused on Kibbutz Beeri, where 101 civilians were killed and 30 taken hostage. The IDF also ended a two-week raid into Shejaiya, and Israel’s defense minister said 60 percent of Hamas terrorists had been eliminated in nine months.
Hezbollah has used the years since the 2006 Lebanon War to build and acquire a formidable arsenal of mortars, rockets, missiles, and drones integrated into a vast network of underground facilities and human shields. Analysis of Hezbollah’s arsenal suggests that a major war with the terrorist organization could present serious challenges for Israel, underscoring its need for adequate air and missile defense capacity and offensive munitions.
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.
The IDF continues operations in northern Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood, stating it has eliminated 100 terrorists and destroyed 100 terrorist infrastructure sites since June 27. The IDF also released footage reportedly showing Hamas abusing Gazans who sought aid.