Israel–Hezbollah Conflict: April 1 – July 26, 2024

Hezbollah opened the northern front on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel, and continued launching rockets, missiles, mortars, and drones from Lebanon.[1] An April analysis in Mosaic characterized the fighting as a war of attrition more severe than any Israel-Hezbollah skirmishing since 2006, although that commentary incorrectly placed the opening attack on October 7.[2]

Estimates of Israeli displacement varied by source and date. Mosaic gave a figure of approximately 80,000 people, while a July Congressional Research Service report placed the officially evacuated population at roughly 60,000; the same CRS report estimated that about 90,000 people had been displaced from southern Lebanon.[3][2]

The April–July period was shaped by a wider regional escalation. On April 1, a strike attributed to Israel hit a building associated with Iran's embassy compound in Damascus and killed Quds Force commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, his lieutenant, and five other Iranians.[4][5] Iran responded on the night of April 13–14. A later Israeli retrospective counted 110 surface-to-surface missiles, 185 drones, and 36 cruise missiles launched from Iran, while CRS reported that approximately 350 projectiles were launched from Iran and allied theaters and that nearly all were intercepted.[5][6]

On April 1, Hezbollah warned that the Damascus strike would bring "punishment and revenge." The same day, the IDF reported strikes on Hezbollah targets in Hanine, the Hamames mountain area, Ayta ash-Shab, and elsewhere in southern Lebanon.[7] On April 7, Israel struck Hezbollah air-defense sites near Baalbek; Hezbollah fire subsequently targeted the Golan Heights and Manara, with one account putting the Golan barrage at approximately 30 rockets.[8]

Hezbollah claimed 38 attacks during April 8–15, mainly against military targets in northern Israel and the Golan Heights.[4] Reporting on its support for Iran's April 13–14 assault differed: the Jerusalem Post reported more than 150 Hezbollah rockets at IDF bases in the Golan Heights, while CRS reported approximately 40 rockets fired by Hezbollah amid the Iranian attack.[5][9]

Israel killed coastal-district commander Ismail Yousef Baz and Radwan Force rocket-unit commander Muhammad Hussein Mustafa Shehoury on April 16.[10] The following day, Hezbollah drones and anti-tank missiles struck Arab al-Aramshe. Initial reporting counted 14 soldiers and four civilians wounded; reservist Dor Zimel later died, and a retrospective counted 17 other wounded people.[6][11]

On April 23, Hezbollah said it launched drones at Israeli military bases north of Acre, describing the operation as its deepest strike into Israel since the Gaza war began. The IDF said it intercepted two aerial targets and was unaware of any base being hit.[12] Alarms sent approximately a quarter of a million Israelis to shelters.[13]

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on April 24 that half of Hezbollah's commanders in southern Lebanon had been eliminated and that the others were hiding or had left the area. On April 26, Hezbollah fire at an IDF convoy and infrastructure project on Mount Dov killed an Israeli Bedouin civilian.[1] Alma Research and Education Center data reported by the Jerusalem Post counted approximately 238 Hezbollah attacks in April, an average of 7.8 per day.[14]

Alma counted 325 Hezbollah attacks in May, an average of ten per day, compared with 238 in April. UAV infiltrations rose from 42 to 85, while incidents involving anti-tank fire increased from 50 to 95.[14]

On May 5, Hezbollah fired dozens of Katyusha and Falaq rockets at Kiryat Shmona and nearby communities, describing the barrage as retaliation for an Israeli strike in Meiss al-Jabal. Israel struck a Hezbollah compound near Baalbek overnight, with Lebanese accounts differing over whether the target was a factory or a truck facility.[15] Two Israeli reserve soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on May 6.[1]

Hezbollah claimed 68 attacks during May 12–20, compared with 46 the previous week. On May 15, two drones targeted the Sky Dew observation site near the Golani Junction: one was intercepted while heading toward Tiberias and the other hit the installation. The IDF said the blimp was on the ground and that the system's ability to construct an aerial picture was not impaired.[16][6]

On May 16, Hezbollah claimed its first use of an S-5 air-to-surface rocket launched from a UAV; it exploded before reaching its target and wounded three soldiers. The group also introduced heavy "Jihad Mughnieh" rockets with reported 120-kilogram warheads.[16] Israeli strikes near Sidon on May 17 targeted Hezbollah air-defense infrastructure and killed Hussein Khader al-Mahdi, described in reporting as a field commander in that array.[17] On May 23, Israel killed Ali Nasser Faran, identified as responsible for manufacturing Hezbollah's strategic and specialized weapons.[10]

June began with attacks that reached farther into Israel. On June 1, Burkan rockets damaged an IDF camp and a nearby mall in Kiryat Shmona, and Hezbollah shot down an IDF Hermes 900 UAV. On June 2, rocket fire ignited fires in the Golan Heights and a drone exploded in Nahariya without reported casualties.[18]

On June 5, two explosive drones struck a soccer field in Hurfeish without warning sirens. Reserve Staff Sgt. Refael Kauders, 39, was killed. Reports issued at different times counted between nine and eleven other wounded people.[6][19] On June 7, a Hezbollah drone penetrated approximately 40 kilometers into Israel and exploded in the Jezreel Valley, prompting the first wartime alerts in that area and the Lower Galilee.[6] On June 10, Hezbollah unsuccessfully attempted to shoot down an Israeli fighter jet with Iranian-made anti-aircraft missiles.[1]

An Israeli strike in Jouaiyya on the night of June 11–12 killed Taleb Sami Abdullah, commander of Hezbollah's Nasr Unit, and three other operatives. He was described as the most senior Hezbollah officer killed since the border fighting began.[20][21] Hezbollah responded on June 12 with more than 200 rockets, missiles, and drones that reached the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, and Tiberias.[20] A Hezbollah source called the June 13 operation the group's largest and most comprehensive since October 8 and claimed attacks with 30 drones and 150 missiles against 15 Israeli positions; these were Hezbollah's figures.[22][23]

On June 18, the IDF announced approval of operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon. Hezbollah also released reconnaissance footage showing Haifa's coastline and port, part of a naval base, warships, and air-defense sites. The IDF described the aircraft as a photography drone without explosives.[1][24]

On June 19, Hassan Nasrallah warned that Hezbollah would fight "without restraints, without rules, without limits" if war were imposed on Lebanon. He said no place in Israel would be beyond Hezbollah's reach and threatened to treat Cyprus as a party to the conflict if it permitted Israeli military use of its territory.[3][1] Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides responded that his country was "in no way involved" in military operations and was "part of the solution, not part of the problem."[1]

U.S. diplomacy intensified as the military threat grew. On June 24, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Gallant while officials pursued a proposal to move critical Hezbollah capabilities up to six miles from the border, reinforce the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL, and establish U.S.-French monitoring. Hezbollah insisted that Israel first stop fighting in Gaza.[3] On June 26, Israel was reported to be transferring forces from Gaza to the north and training for a possible Lebanon operation while still prioritizing mediation.[25]

Israel killed Hezbollah aerial-force member Ali al-Din on June 27, after which Hezbollah fired 40 rockets.[1] Gallant warned that Israel could "inflict massive damage in Lebanon," and Iran's UN mission said a full-scale Israeli operation could produce an "obliterating war" involving other Iranian-backed fronts.[3] On June 30, a Hezbollah drone hit troops in the northern Golan Heights. Sources counted either 17 or 18 wounded soldiers; one later died.[26][6] By the end of June, the Jewish Virtual Library counted 2,295 Hezbollah attacks since October 8, including rockets, mortars, anti-tank missiles, and drones.[1]

On July 3, an Israeli strike near Tyre killed Muhammad Nimah Nasser, commander of Hezbollah's Aziz Unit. The IDF described him as the second-most senior Hezbollah commander killed to that date. Hezbollah responded with at least 100 rockets toward Kiryat Shmona, the Galilee Panhandle, and the northern Golan Heights.[1][27]

On July 4, Hezbollah launched what the Meir Amit Center described as its largest attack since the fighting began: more than 200 rockets and 20 explosive drones directed at IDF bases and headquarters across the Golan Heights and the Galilee.[28] Hezbollah said five military positions were targeted, including with 100 Katyusha rockets aimed at the Golan Division headquarters and systems at Nafah Base.[29] An officer was killed when a rocket hit an IDF base, three civilians were injured by interception debris, and fires broke out across northern Israel.[28]

Israel killed Hezbollah air-defense expert Meitam Mustafa Al Atar on July 7 and rockets-and-missiles operative Mustafa Hassan Salman on July 8.[10] On July 9, a direct rocket strike killed Noa Adar Barns and her husband Nir Barns, both 46, as they drove in the Golan Heights. They left three children.[6] Israel also killed Yasser Nimer Qarnabash, described as a weapons smuggler and former Nasrallah bodyguard; Hezbollah responded with approximately 40 rockets.[10]

Nasrallah said on July 17 that the Lebanon front would remain active while the war in Gaza continued and threatened Israeli communities that Hezbollah had not previously attacked.[1] On July 18, the IDF said a strike in Jmaijmeh killed Radwan Force operations officer Ali Jaafar Maatouk and other Hezbollah operatives.[30]

Hezbollah claimed 44 attacks during July 15–22. On July 19, it said it attacked Abir, Manot, and Neve Ziv for the first time and used a Wabel rocket against an IDF post on Mount Dov; reports described the weapon as a heavy Burkan-series rocket carrying a 1,000-kilogram warhead.[31] Approximately 60 rockets were fired on July 20.[31]

On July 21, explosive drones struck near Hanita and Ya'ara, while a rocket damaged an empty school building at Kibbutz Dafna. The IDF responded against weapons depots, launchers, observation posts, and other Hezbollah infrastructure.[32] By that date, Hezbollah had fired more than 300 explosive drones during the conflict, about half of which were intercepted.[32]

Hezbollah released another reconnaissance video on July 24 showing Ramat David Air Force Base. The IDF said the drone was used for photography and that base operations were unaffected.[33] On July 26, Israel struck Hezbollah buildings in Markaba and Ayta ash-Shab. Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile that damaged a factory in Avivim, while the IDF struck a launcher in Houla and additional sites in southern Lebanon.[33][34]

At the July 26 endpoint, the campaign had produced sustained displacement and casualties but no political settlement. The Times of Israel reported 12 Israeli civilians and 18 soldiers or reservists killed in the border fighting, while tens of thousands of civilians remained displaced on each side of the frontier.[34]

Israel continued preparing for a possible Lebanon operation, and Northern Command said it had killed more than 500 terrorists in Lebanon and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah infrastructure sites.[33] Hezbollah continued linking an end to its campaign to an end to Israeli operations in Gaza, leaving the border crisis unresolved.[3][1]

By July 26, Hezbollah reported that 377 of its members had been killed, mostly in Lebanon and some in Syria. The same reporting counted 68 members of other armed groups, one Lebanese soldier, and dozens of Lebanese civilians killed.[34] The IDF's figure of more than 500 terrorists killed in Lebanon included predominantly Hezbollah members but used a different methodology and was not directly comparable to Hezbollah's list.[33][34]

A Calcalist report citing Reuters had earlier counted more than 330 Hezbollah fighters and approximately 90 civilians killed in Lebanon, while Gallant separately said by May 29 that 320 terrorists had been killed. These figures had different cut-off dates and definitions.[35]

Rocket and attack totals also measured different categories. The Jewish Virtual Library recorded 744 Hezbollah rockets in April, 1,000 in May, and 855 in June.[36] Alma counted broader categories of attacks, reporting approximately 238 in April and 325 in May.[14] Alma also reported that 46 percent of Hezbollah's 1,964 attacks through May 31 had targeted civilian infrastructure or civilian areas, while the Jewish Virtual Library counted 2,295 total attacks through the end of June.[1][14]

Targeted strikes against Hezbollah's command and weapons networks were a central element of Israel's campaign. Israel killed Radwan Force commander Ali Ahmad Hussein on April 7, coastal-district commander Ismail Yousef Baz and rocket-unit commander Muhammad Hussein Mustafa Shehoury on April 16, field commander Hussain Ibrahim on May 14, and weapons-manufacturing official Ali Nasser Faran on May 23.[10]

The May 17 strikes near Sidon killed Hussein Khader al-Mahdi, described in reporting as a Hezbollah air-defense field commander.[17] On June 11, Israel killed Nasr Unit commander Taleb Sami Abdullah, whose death prompted Hezbollah's major June 12 barrage.[20]

July strikes killed Aziz Unit commander Muhammad Nimah Nasser, air-defense expert Meitam Mustafa Al Atar, rockets-and-missiles operative Mustafa Hassan Salman, weapons smuggler Yasser Nimer Qarnabash, and a Radwan Force operations officer identified by the IDF as Ali Jaafar Maatouk.[10][30] Several senior killings, particularly those of Abdullah and Nasser, were followed by intensified Hezbollah barrages.

CRS assessed that neither Israel nor Hezbollah appeared to want a full-scale war, but that Israeli pressure to return displaced residents and Hezbollah's effort to maintain deterrence could push both toward escalation.[3]

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel and Lebanon in June and said the cross-border fire had "gone on for long enough."[24] The proposal discussed around Blinken's June 24 meeting with Gallant involved moving critical Hezbollah capabilities up to six miles from the border, reinforcing the Lebanese Armed Forces and UNIFIL, and establishing U.S.-French monitoring and guarantees.[3] Hezbollah refused to separate the northern front from the Gaza war.[3]

In a July 1 statement quoted by the Jewish Virtual Library, Blinken said Israel had "effectively lost sovereignty in the northern quadrant of its country because people don't feel safe to go to their homes."[1] Iran warned that a major Israeli operation could draw in other Iranian-backed fronts, while Gallant said Israel was capable of inflicting "massive damage in Lebanon."[3]

By late June, Israel was transferring and training forces for a possible operation in Lebanon. Reporting said no date had been set and that the decision depended on developments in Gaza, Hezbollah's rate of fire, and the prospects for a mediated agreement.[25]

Casualty totals for individual attacks changed as wounded people died or later information emerged. Initial reporting on Arab al-Aramshe counted 14 soldiers and four civilians wounded; a later retrospective counted Dor Zimel's death and 17 other wounded people.[6][11] For Hurfeish, a contemporaneous account listed Kauders, one seriously wounded reservist, and eight lightly wounded soldiers, while a later retrospective reported eleven other wounded people.[6][19]

Aggregate counts also used different definitions. Alma's April attack total appeared as both 236 and 238, while rocket-only totals from the Jewish Virtual Library were substantially higher because they counted individual launches rather than attack incidents.[15][14] Reporting on Hezbollah's participation in the April 13–14 Iranian assault likewise ranged from approximately 40 rockets in CRS to more than 150 in the Jerusalem Post.[5][9]

Sources differed over whether the April 1 Damascus target was within the Iranian embassy compound or a building adjacent to it.[4][5] Israel had not publicly claimed responsibility at the time. Sources also listed the Radwan commander killed on July 18 under different names: the IDF account cited by the Times of Israel identified Ali Jaafar Maatouk, while the Jewish Virtual Library chronology listed Habib Maatouk.[10][30]

Cumulative casualty and damage claims remained attributed figures. Hezbollah's list of 377 dead members and the IDF's claim of more than 500 terrorists killed used different definitions and should not be treated as equivalent or independently reconciled totals.[33][34]