Israel–Hezbollah Conflict (2023–Present): Military Engagements

On October 8, 2023, approximately 25 hours after Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel, Hezbollah fired rockets at an Israel Defense Forces position on Mount Dov along the Israel-Lebanon border.[5] Hezbollah framed the attacks as solidarity with the Palestinians and as an effort to recover what it described as remaining occupied Lebanese land; the IDF struck a Hezbollah tent that had been established on the Israeli side of the border in response.[5] The following day, four infiltrators cut the border fence near Adamit, and the ensuing firefight killed Israeli officers and soldiers, including Lieutenant Colonel Alim Abdullah, the deputy commander of Brigade 300.[5]

On October 11, Israel reportedly considered a preventive war against Hezbollah, with aircraft already airborne, but the proposed attack was canceled after a false alarm concerning a possible mass glider assault and amid concerns about regional escalation; U.S. President Joe Biden urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to launch a preventive attack in Lebanon at that time.[5] By October 16, Israel and the Defense Ministry began evacuating 28 communities within two kilometers of the border because of continuing rocket, anti-tank missile, mortar, machine-gun fire, and infiltration attempts; additional communities and Kiryat Shmona were added to the evacuation order later.[5] Hezbollah described its involvement as a "support front" for the Gaza Strip, a characterization that shaped its pattern of attacks throughout the first year of fighting.[1]

Throughout October and November 2023, Hezbollah and Israel exchanged repeated rocket, missile, drone, and artillery attacks, with fighting concentrated along the border but already reaching farther into northern Israel.[6] On November 6, a barrage of 30 rockets reached western Galilee, Nahariya, Acre, and the Krayot area, with the Lebanese Hamas branch claiming responsibility.[5] On November 10, three Hezbollah explosive drones entered Israel: one exploded in the Hula Valley visitor parking area, one landed in open ground, and one was intercepted.[5]

December brought further escalation. On December 7, an Israeli civilian was killed by an anti-tank missile.[6] On December 12, a Hezbollah anti-tank missile struck electricity workers repairing power lines near Dovev, killing one worker and seriously injuring five others.[5] On December 16, an explosive Hezbollah drone killed an Israeli reservist near Margaliot.[5] On December 26, an anti-tank missile struck St. Mary's Greek-Orthodox Church in Iqrit, wounding an Israeli civilian and nine soldiers, after which the IDF killed the alleged attacker.[6]

Over the course of the conflict through November 2024, the fighting displaced approximately 60,000 Israeli residents from northern border communities and an estimated 95,000 Lebanese residents from border areas on the Lebanese side.[2]

January 2024 opened with a series of high-profile killings on both sides. On January 2, Hamas deputy political bureau chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a strike in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, prompting Hezbollah to declare retaliatory intent.[5] On January 6, Hezbollah responded by firing 62 rockets and missiles of various types at the Israeli Air Force's air-control unit at Mount Meron, approximately seven kilometers south of the border, damaging an air-traffic-control facility; Hezbollah described this as an initial response to al-Arouri's killing.[1]

On January 8, Wissam al-Tawil, a senior Hezbollah and Radwan Brigade commander, was killed in a drone strike near his home in Khirbet Selm; Hezbollah's drone-force commander Ali Hussein Barji was also killed near al-Tawil's funeral.[5][6] On January 9, a Hezbollah drone exploded inside the Northern Command base in Safed.[5] On January 13, Israeli forces killed four infiltrators who had crossed the border.[6] On January 14, an anti-tank missile killed a local security-team member and his mother in Kfar Yuval, seriously wounding the father.[5]

In February, Israeli aircraft struck Hezbollah air-defense installations near Baalbek, approximately 100 kilometers from Metula, after Hezbollah had downed an Israeli drone and another missile had been intercepted.[5] A rocket strike on February 14 killed one person and injured seven in Safed.[6]

Between February and June 2024, the frequency and geographic reach of attacks continued to grow on both sides. On March 27, a rocket struck Kiryat Shmona, killing one person.[6] Hezbollah attacks wounded workers and soldiers at multiple locations, including Mount Dov and Arab al-Aramshe.[6] By June 2024, the conflict was described as a controlled but continuing war of attrition, with Hezbollah periodically expanding attacks deeper into Israel, generally in response to Israeli strikes on its operatives or infrastructure.[7]

The conflict also extended into Syria during this period. A March 29 strike near Aleppo International Airport reportedly targeted a Hezbollah headquarters and weapons depots belonging to pro-Iranian militias, killing 44 people including at least seven Hezbollah members.[5] On April 1, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, commander of Iran's Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, was killed in a strike against a building adjacent to Iran's embassy in Damascus.[5] Iran responded on April 13 with 110 ballistic missiles, 185 drones, and 36 cruise missiles against Israel, of which ballistic missiles hit within the Nevatim base area and a seven-year-old girl was critically injured by shrapnel; those events involved Iran and Syrian theaters as well as the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation.[5]

On April 17, Hezbollah carried out a combined rocket, anti-tank-missile, and drone attack against the Israeli border community of Arab al-Aramshe, striking a community center and a vehicle and wounding Israeli soldiers and civilians; Hezbollah claimed the attack as retaliation for Israeli strikes that had killed its operatives the previous day.[8]

Drone attacks grew notably more ambitious by May and June. On May 15, a Hezbollah drone struck the Sky Dew observation-balloon site near Golani Junction, roughly 32 kilometers from the border; another drone aimed toward Tiberias was intercepted.[5] On June 2, a Hezbollah drone exploded inside Nahariya for the first time in the war.[5] On June 5, two drones struck a field in Hurfish minutes apart, killing one reservist and injuring 11 people with no warning issued.[5] On June 7, a drone traveled approximately 40 kilometers into Israel and exploded in the Jezreel Valley, producing the first wartime alerts in the Lower Galilee and Jezreel Valley.[5]

On June 11–12, Israel killed Taleb Sami Abdullah — known as Abu Taleb and commander of Hezbollah's al-Nasr unit — together with other commanders in a strike near Tyre; he was described as the highest-ranking Hezbollah commander killed to that point in the conflict.[6][5] Hezbollah responded with more than 200 rockets in total, including a strike that hit a factory at Kibbutz Sasa, and Tiberias and the Jordan Valley received their first rocket alerts since October 2023.[6][5] On June 13, the attack from Lebanon was described as the largest single day of the war up to that point, with dozens of rockets fired within two hours and seven drones intercepted.[5]

Between October 2023 and June 30, 2024, the Jewish Virtual Library recorded approximately 2,295 Hezbollah attacks on Israel, including anti-tank missiles and drones.[6]

July 2024 brought several of the conflict's most consequential single events. On July 3, Hezbollah's Aziz-unit commander Muhammad Nima Nasser was killed in a vehicle strike near Tyre.[5] On July 4, Hezbollah launched what was then described as its largest attack of the conflict: more than 200 rockets of various types and approximately 20 explosive UAVs against Israeli military bases and headquarters in the Golan Heights, Upper Galilee, and Western Galilee, causing fires and at least one Israeli military death.[9] On July 9, a rocket strike in the Golan Heights killed a married couple in their vehicle.[5]

One of the conflict's deadliest attacks on Israeli civilians occurred on July 27, 2024, when a Falaq-1 rocket launched from south Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teenagers and injuring more than 40 others.[10][2] Israel and U.S. officials attributed the attack to Hezbollah and identified the weapon as an Iranian-made Falaq-1; Hezbollah initially claimed it had fired at an Israeli military position in the Hermon area and denied responsibility for the civilian deaths.[10][2]

Three days later, on July 30, Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs using F-35 aircraft that killed Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah's most senior military commander, head of its strategic array, and the central figure in its missile and UAV programs.[11][12] Hezbollah formally confirmed his death on July 31, and the killing was followed by preparations for a major retaliatory attack.[11] The Jerusalem Post described Shukr's removal as a major disruption to Hassan Nasrallah's military decision-making, as Nasrallah had relied on Shukr for strategy and tactics.[13]

On August 21, approximately 50 rockets struck the Golan Heights, damaging homes in Katzrin, while roughly 200 rockets were fired at northern communities that day.[5] The conflict's next major single-day exchange took place on August 25, when Israel launched a large preemptive strike after detecting preparations for a large Hezbollah attack it said targeted strategic installations in northern and central Israel, including the Glilot area, the Mossad headquarters, and an IDF intelligence base.[5] Israel struck launch sites in approximately 40 locations after detecting thousands of launchers it said had been set on timers.[6] Hezbollah then fired approximately 210–320 rockets and some 20 drones toward northern Israel, claiming to have targeted Israeli military bases; Israel said it largely thwarted the attack and that its bases were not damaged.[14][13] Reports indicated that at least three people died in Lebanon and that an Israeli sailor was killed by shrapnel from an Israeli interceptor missile.[14]

September 2024 opened with a significant covert operation. On September 8–9, 100 Israeli commandos from the Shaldag unit entered an underground Iranian missile-production facility near Masyaf, Syria, in an operation known as "Many Ways." The facility was reported to be 120 meters underground and designed to produce 300 precision missiles annually for Hezbollah; it was destroyed within 18 minutes without Israeli casualties, with the IDF assessing that approximately 30 Syrian guards and soldiers were killed.[6][5]

On September 17, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and parts of Syria in a suspected Israeli sabotage operation. The Times of Israel reported that the combined pager and walkie-talkie attacks on September 17 and 18 killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400; a Hezbollah official said approximately 1,500 members were too injured to fight.[15][16] On September 18, hundreds of Hezbollah walkie-talkies also exploded, with Lebanon's Health Ministry reporting at least 14 deaths and 450 wounded in the second wave.[5] Hezbollah and Lebanese officials attributed the attacks to Israel; Israel initially declined to publicly comment, though later reporting described Israeli responsibility as acknowledged.[15]

The operations were characterized as a turning point: they damaged Hezbollah's communications network, left the organization demoralized and disorganized, and preceded a rapid escalation of Israeli airstrikes against the organization's leadership and military infrastructure.[16] On September 19, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah called the explosions a "genocide" and acknowledged that Hezbollah had suffered a severe blow; Israel meanwhile claimed to have attacked approximately 1,000 Hezbollah launch positions that day.[5]

Over September 20–22, Israel continued intensive strikes. On September 20, Hezbollah's head of operations and commander of the Radwan Force, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed in an Israeli strike on a Beirut residential building, together with at least ten other senior Radwan commanders; Lebanon's Health Ministry reported at least 37 total deaths in the strike.[17][17] On September 21, the IDF said it struck approximately 290 Hezbollah targets within hours.[5] On September 22, Hezbollah fired 115 rockets in four barrages toward the Jezreel Valley, the Krayot, and the Sea of Galilee, producing the first wartime alerts in Afula and Yokneam.[5]

On September 23, 2024, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi formally named the Israeli offensive Operation Northern Arrows. In what the IDF described as the largest single day of Israeli strikes in the conflict, approximately 1,600 strikes targeted Hezbollah infrastructure across south Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, north Lebanon, and Beirut, hitting rocket launchers, ammunition depots, UAVs, cruise missiles, intelligence facilities, and weapons stored in civilian buildings; the IDF said it used more than 1,400 munitions in a single day.[18][18] Rockets were also fired toward Haifa and the Carmel region that day.[5]

The campaign continued with further high-value strikes. On September 24, Hezbollah's head of its rocket and missile division, Ibrahim Qubaisi, was killed in Beirut's Dahiyeh district, while three drones were launched toward Atlit — two intercepted and one that exploded.[5] On September 25, Hezbollah fired the first surface-to-surface ballistic missile from Lebanon toward the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, claiming it targeted Mossad headquarters; Israel intercepted it with the David's Sling missile-defense system.[5][12]

The campaign reached its most consequential moment on September 27, 2024, when Israel struck Hezbollah's underground headquarters beneath a residential building in Beirut's Dahieh district in an operation the IDF called "New Order." More than 80 one-ton bombs were dropped on the bunker.[12] The strike killed Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah — who had led Hezbollah for 32 years — along with senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karki and Iranian General Abbas Nilforushan.[12][19] Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah's death on September 28.[19] Also killed on September 28 were senior Hezbollah officials Hassan Khalil Yassin and Nabil Qaouk.[12] On October 4, Israel killed Hashem Safieddine, described as a potential successor to Nasrallah.[2]

On the night of September 30–October 1, 2024, Israel began a ground operation in southern Lebanon. The IDF described it as "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids" against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in villages close to the border, with ground troops supported by coordinated air and artillery forces; the stated objective was to remove what the IDF called an immediate and concrete threat to Israeli border communities.[20][21] The IDF described the incursion as an extension of Operation Northern Arrows rather than an operation intended to conquer Lebanese territory, and an Israeli official reportedly said Israel did not intend to occupy southern Lebanon.[2][20]

Ground forces encountered Hezbollah terrorists immediately and took casualties from the start.[12] During the opening night, rockets were fired toward Misgav Am, Zar'it, Shtula, and Netua, falling in open areas without reported casualties.[21] Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in the first reported ground-campaign casualties.[12]

Before the public announcement of the ground operation, Israel had conducted more than 70 covert incursions into Lebanon over the preceding 11 months, steadily bombing Hezbollah positions and destroying hideouts and weapons-storage depots; analysts attributed the relatively limited initial Hezbollah resistance partly to those preceding operations.[13]

During October and November, Israeli forces engaged in intensive combat operations. On October 6, Israeli forces completed the capture of Kila overlooking Metula.[5] On October 8, forces located a Hezbollah tunnel extending approximately 10 meters into Israeli territory near Zar'it, and the IDF reported capturing Aitaroun and Maroun al-Ras while destroying the "Iran Park" site.[5] On October 13, a Hezbollah drone struck the dining hall of a Golani Brigade training base near Binyamina, killing four soldiers, seriously injuring seven, and injuring 51 others.[5] On October 16, five Golani reconnaissance soldiers were killed in an encounter in a southern Lebanese village after forces found shafts in a building and came under fire from a stairwell; they killed four Hezbollah terrorists.[5] On October 19, an explosive drone struck the facade of Prime Minister Netanyahu's home in Caesarea without causing casualties.[5] On October 27, four reservists from the Alon Brigade were killed in a prolonged encounter in a built-up compound near the border.[5]

During this period, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon reported that Israeli fire caused injuries to some UNIFIL personnel and damage to UNIFIL facilities; Israel called on UNIFIL to relocate, while U.S. and other officials urged Israel not to endanger UNIFIL positions.[2]

In November, Hezbollah mounted continued attacks against Israeli forces and civilian targets. On November 2, an Israeli naval commando raid in northern Lebanon reportedly captured Hezbollah operative Imad Amhaz; Hezbollah responded by firing 159 rockets and at least six drones that day.[5] On November 12, a suicide drone exploded in a kindergarten in Nesher after children had been evacuated, while rocket fire killed two people in Nahariya.[5] On November 13, six Golani soldiers were killed in an encounter with Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon.[5] On November 20, Israeli researcher Ze'ev Erlich and soldier Gur Kehati were killed in combat with Hezbollah terrorists.[5] On November 21, a rocket struck a playground in Nahariya and killed one person.[5] On November 24, heavy rocket fire produced more than 540 alerts and extensive damage in northern and central Israeli communities.[5]

During the November 18–25 phase, Israeli forces advanced toward the second village line near the Litani River, with principal ground fighting occurring around al-Khiyam, the Deir Mimas–Kafr Kila area, and al-Bayada; Hezbollah attacked Israeli forces using rockets, UAVs, anti-tank missiles, artillery, and explosive devices.[22] On November 26, Israeli forces reportedly reached the Litani River near Metula and the Beaufort area, while Israeli aircraft struck a large underground Hezbollah precision-missile component production site near Janta in the Bekaa Valley.[5]

Israeli military summaries attributed the following results to the ground campaign: approximately 3,850 Hezbollah operatives killed, approximately 2,760 during the ground maneuver, approximately 9,000 wounded, 18 captured, and approximately 80% of Hezbollah's fire capabilities destroyed — figures attributed to the Israeli military and not independently verified.[23]

A ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, brokered by the United States and France, took effect at 4:00 a.m. on November 27, 2024, ending what sources describe as approximately 14 months of fighting on the northern front.[23][6] Between November 25 at 2:00 p.m. and the ceasefire's entry into force, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 40 attacks against Israeli military, security, and civilian targets, including attacks on Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon.[24]

The agreement's terms required Hezbollah to withdraw its armed presence north of the Litani River and cease military activity south of it, and required Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon over 60 days, with the Lebanese Armed Forces and a reinforced UNIFIL deploying in the area.[6][24] The ceasefire was framed as consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.[25]

By the time of the ceasefire, the conflict had killed more than 2,500 people in Lebanon and more than 70 people in Israel — figures the Congressional Research Service notes do not provide a complete incident-by-incident casualty breakdown.[2] The IDF's campaign total was separately reported as 141 Israeli dead, comprising 93 soldiers and 48 civilians.[23] Israel had been hit by approximately 15,400 rockets by the end of 2024.[6]

The ceasefire proved immediately contested. After its entry into force, Israel continued air and ground operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon while accusing Hezbollah of violating the agreement.[26] On December 2, 2024, Hezbollah fired mortars at Mount Dov.[6] Israeli operations during December targeted Hezbollah personnel and arsenals, and in January and February 2025 Israel struck Hezbollah weapons and smuggling infrastructure, including strikes described as targeting routes along the Syria-Lebanon border.[6][3]

On January 12, 2025, the IDF said it struck a rocket launcher, a military site, and smuggling routes along the Syria-Lebanon border after Israel said an international ceasefire-monitoring mechanism had failed to address Hezbollah violations; Lebanese reports placed some strikes near Janta in the eastern Baalbek region and near Nabatieh.[3] After the 60-day withdrawal deadline, Israel retained five military outposts in southern Lebanon rather than completing a full withdrawal on February 18, 2025.[6]

On March 22, 2025, Hezbollah launched six rockets toward northern Israel — its first reported attack since December — and Israel responded with strikes and the killing of Hassan Kamal Halawi, described as chief of Hezbollah's southern anti-tank unit.[6] By May 12, 2025, Hezbollah claimed Israel had committed 3,138 violations of the ceasefire, including airstrikes and ground incursions; this figure was a Hezbollah claim and was not independently established in the source.[27]

Throughout 2025, Israel conducted repeated strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure despite the nominal ceasefire, citing Hezbollah's failure to fulfill its disarmament obligations.[28] In April and May 2025, violence intensified: on April 20, the Lebanese Army raided an apartment near Sidon, seized rockets and launchers, and arrested suspects allegedly preparing an attack on Israel.[6] On April 25, Hezbollah fired missile and drone barrages at Israeli cities, while Israel struck Hezbollah infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley.[6] On April 28, Israel struck villages and dismantled two underground tunnels at Qantara.[6]

On May 19–20, Hezbollah defended against an Israeli assault at Haddatha in the Bint Jbeil district, described as the first prolonged IDF-Hezbollah ground engagement since the ceasefire.[6] On June 5, Israeli fighter jets struck underground Hezbollah drone-manufacturing sites in Beirut's southern suburbs; Lebanese officials condemned the strikes as ceasefire violations, while Israel said it was targeting military infrastructure.[29]

On September 18, 2025, the IDF carried out two waves of strikes against weapon depots belonging to Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force in southern Lebanon, saying Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild the Radwan Force violated the ceasefire and reporting that Israel had killed more than 300 Hezbollah operatives since the ceasefire entered into force.[30] On December 18, 2025, Israel struck Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including a training camp, weapons-storage sites, launch sites, and other infrastructure; the IDF said that since the November 2024 ceasefire it had killed more than 380 Hezbollah operatives and allied-group members, struck hundreds of Hezbollah sites, and conducted more than 1,200 raids and other small operations in southern Lebanon.[31]

After U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran began on February 28, 2026, Hezbollah resumed sustained projectile fire into northern Israel on March 2, reopening full-scale hostilities after the November 2024 ceasefire.[4] Israel responded with extensive strikes across Lebanon, including Beirut's southern suburbs; by March 6, the Israel Defense Forces claimed to have struck more than 500 Hezbollah targets and conducted 26 waves of airstrikes in Dahiyeh.[4]

By mid-March, Hezbollah was again fighting Israeli troops around Khiam, south of the Litani River.[32] On March 18–20, Hezbollah bombed northern Israel.[33] On March 24, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced plans for Israeli forces to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River.[12] On March 27, Israeli forces reported finding three newly constructed tunnel shafts near an underground site that Israel said it had cleared during the 2024 campaign.[32]

In March 2026, Hezbollah employed drones including fiber-optic drones resistant to electronic countermeasures against Israeli troops in southern Lebanon and border areas.[33] On March 5, Israel reportedly targeted Iranian officials in Lebanon, and reports described dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members fleeing Lebanon.[33] The renewed fighting displaced approximately one million people in Lebanon, and Israel established a buffer zone covering approximately 5% of Lebanon's territory.[33]

In April and May 2026, fighting included an Israeli blitz across Lebanon on April 8, reported as killing hundreds and wounding more than 1,000.[12] On April 16, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 10-day pause in hostilities that began on April 17 after reported U.S. efforts to halt the fighting; a three-week extension was announced on April 23.[12][34] The pause did not require Israel to withdraw from forward positions in Lebanese territory, and targeted hostilities continued despite it.[34]

On May 7, Israel said it had killed a Hezbollah chief near Beirut.[34] By May 30, Israeli ground forces had crossed north of the Litani River for the first time since 2006, and on May 31 the IDF announced the capture of Beaufort Castle (Qal'at al-Shaqif).[12]

In June 2026, Israeli forces struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut on June 7 and June 15, and struck an underground fortress in southern Lebanon on June 24.[6] In July, during Operation Full Stop, Israeli forces destroyed an underground Hezbollah complex beneath Majdal Zoun and captured an underground drone base containing more than 50 attack drones and nearly 18,000 pounds of explosives.[6] In early September, Israeli forces said they had gained control of Ali al-Taher Ridge; by September 11, the IDF said it had destroyed more than two kilometers of underground infrastructure beneath the ridge and then redeployed toward Beaufort.[32]

On June 3, 2026, the United States, Israel, and Lebanon jointly announced a ceasefire contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of Hezbollah operatives from the South Litani Sector, with pilot zones in which the Lebanese Armed Forces would establish exclusive control; Hezbollah and Iran reportedly rejected the terms unless Israel fully withdrew from Lebanon.[33] A U.S.-Israel-Lebanon trilateral framework envisioned the progressive redeployment of Israeli forces from Lebanon after verified disarmament of non-state armed groups, beginning in designated pilot zones, with Lebanese Armed Forces control conditional on confirming that Hezbollah had been disarmed and its infrastructure dismantled; Hezbollah's leader rejected the framework as a "surrender of Lebanon's sovereignty."[35]

As of September 2026, Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon remained ongoing, and Israel reportedly occupied approximately 5% of Lebanese territory since fighting resumed in March.[36]

Several aspects of the conflict's military record rest on contested attributions and competing casualty figures rather than independently verified findings. Responsibility for the July 27, 2024 Majdal Shams attack — which killed 12 children on a soccer field — was attributed to Hezbollah by Israel and U.S. officials on the basis of weapons identification, while Hezbollah denied responsibility; this dispute remains unresolved in the available source record.[10][2]

Casualty totals, target counts, and battlefield-success claims throughout the 2024 and 2026 operations are frequently based on statements by one of the combatants. Israeli military summaries, Hezbollah communiqués, and Lebanese governmental figures often differ substantially and should be treated as attributed claims rather than independently verified statistics.[23]

The September 17–18, 2024 pager and walkie-talkie operation was widely reported as an Israeli sabotage operation; sources differ on casualty details, with one Times of Israel report giving 39 killed and more than 3,400 wounded and a Jerusalem Post account giving approximately 30 killed and approximately 3,000 wounded.[15][16] Israel initially did not publicly acknowledge responsibility, though later reporting described Israeli involvement as confirmed.[15]

Israeli and Hezbollah compliance with the November 27, 2024 ceasefire was disputed from the outset, with each side accusing the other of violations. Hezbollah claimed more than 3,000 Israeli violations by May 2025, a figure Israel disputed; Israel's continued strikes were characterized by Israeli officials as responses to Hezbollah rearmament rather than ceasefire breaches.[27][28] The legal and factual characterization of post-ceasefire operations and Hezbollah activity south of the Litani River remains politically contested by all parties.