A battle began in the village of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon on 1 October 2024, amid the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Battle of Odaisseh
Part of the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
Israel-Lebanon-Syria-border-Conflict-2023.svg

  Israel
  Hezbollah presence in Lebanon
  Areas ordered evacuated by Israel

See here for a more detailed map.
Date1 October 2024 – present
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
 Israel  Hezbollah
Commanders and leaders
Israel Capt. Harel Ettinger [1] Hezbollah Unknown
Units involved

 Israeli Ground Forces

 Israeli Air Force

Hezbollah Redwan Force
Casualties and losses
Israel 8+ soldiers killed
Israel 48+ soldiers wounded[1][2]
Hezbollah 30+ fighters killed (Per IDF)[1]

Background

On 1 October 2024, Israel began an invasion of Lebanon as part of the 2024 Israel–Hezbollah war and the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, results of the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war. It began after Hezbollah faced a series of setbacks in September 2024 that degraded its capabilities[3][4] and eliminated most of its leadership;[5][6] beginning with the pager explosions,[7][8] followed by an Israeli airstrikes campaign targeting Hezbollah throughout Lebanon,[9] killing over 800 and injuring at least 5,000 in a week, and culminating in the 27 September assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[10][11]

Time-line

1 October

On 1 October, Hezbollah claimed that it had targeted IDF soldiers in towns opposite of Odaisseh.[12]

2 October

On 2 October, Hezbollah stated that Israeli forces were ambushed by Hezbollah fighters in Odaisseh and forced to retreat while attempting to dismantle militant infrastructure. Six soldiers from the Egoz Unit were killed in the clash and several others were injured, including five critically. The IDF said that another 20 Hezbollah militants were killed during the clash.[13][14]

Early in the morning on 2 October 2024, a force of the Egoz unit moved towards the village, they were observed before their arrival, and Radwan Force militants set up an ambush. Amongst the heavy fog, the Egoz Unit personnel entered one of the buildings in the village, around 04:30 in the morning, when they were attacked from several directions.[15] Under the haze and fog, the Israeli Air Force could not provide combat support so the special operatives from the Unit 669 were deployed to rescue and evacuate the trapped personnel.[16] At a point in the battle, the Hezbollah militants tried to kidnap the dead bodies of Egoz Unit personnel but were thwarted in this attempt.[17] Eight Egoz fighters were killed during the fighting, including the team commander Capt. Harel Ettinger. The Redwan Force personnel entrenched themselves in a mosque which was then attacked by a UAV.[1] In this engagement 6 Egoz Unit personnel were killed and 30 were wounded including 7 seriously, moreover IDF claimed to have killed 30 Hezbollah militants during the engagement.[1]

Later on the same day, an ambush by Hezbollah killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded 18.[2] According to Al Jazeera English analysts, the attack was a victory for Hezbollah.[18] The Lebanese army said that an Israeli force crossed the Blue Line in Odaisseh and claimed they retreated after an incursion of about 400 meters.[19]

3 October

On 3 October, Hezbollah said that it targeted Israeli soldiers in al-Thaghra on the outskirts of Odaisseh.[20]

9 October

Hezbollah-affiliated sources stated that the IDF withdrew from Odaisseh and Kfar Kila.[21]

21-23 October

A number of buildings in Odaisseh were demolished by the Israeli military, among them a cultural centre and the family home of Lubnan Baalbaki, the conductor of Lebanon’s philharmonic orchestra. The centre was full of his father's, the artist Abdel-Hamid Baalbaki (ar), collection of fine art and pottery, in addition to 2,000 manuscripts and books.[22]

3 November

By 3 November, around 20 percent of buildings in Odaisseh were damaged.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "בערפל כבד וחילוצים תחת אש: 30 מחבלים חוסלו בקרב ההרואי של אגוז, שבו נפלו 6 לוחמים" [In heavy fog and rescues under fire: 30 terrorists were killed in the heroic battle of Agoz, in which 6 fighters fell]. Ynet. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b McCready, Alastair. "Updates: Hezbollah fights Israeli troops in Lebanon as 5 killed in Beirut". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  3. ^ "After the decapitation of Hizbullah, Iran could race for a nuclear bomb". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  4. ^ Ibish, Hussein (30 September 2024). "Hezbollah Got Caught in Its Own Trap". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  5. ^ Mackenzie, James; Gebeily, Maya; Lubell, Maayan (1 October 2024). "Israel says it's raiding Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, group fires at Israel". Reuters.
  6. ^ Nakhoul, Samia; Hafezi, Parisa; Lubell, Maayan (29 September 2024). "Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's penetration of Hezbollah". Reuters.
  7. ^ Lidman, Melanie; Mroue, Bassem; Hatoum, Bassam (23 September 2024). "Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon's deadliest day of conflict since 2006". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  8. ^ El Deeb, Sarah (20 September 2024). "Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike was top military official on US wanted list". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  9. ^ Stroul, Dana (23 September 2024). "Israel and Hezbollah Are Escalating Toward Catastrophe". Foreign Affairs. ISSN 0015-7120. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike". Associated Press. 28 September 2024. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  11. ^ Mroue, Bassem; Lidman, Melanie (28 September 2024). "Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  12. ^ "ن غفير: القوات الإسرائيلية تخوض حاليا قتالا في ظروف ليست سهلة في جنوب لبنان" [Ben Gvir: Israeli forces are currently fighting in difficult conditions in southern Lebanon]. Elnashra (in Arabic). 1 October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  13. ^ "Hezbollah says it forced Israeli soldiers to retreat from Lebanese town". Al Jazeera. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  14. ^ "In first fatalities of Lebanon ground op, 8 IDF soldiers killed in battle with Hezbollah". The Times of Israel. 2 October 2024. Archived from the original on 2 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  15. ^ "קרב גבורה: כל מה שאפשר לספר על נפילת שישה לוחמי אגוז בלבנון" [Heroic battle: everything that can be told about the fall of six Nut fighters in Lebanon]. Ma'ariv Online. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  16. ^ Avi Ashkenazi. "קרבות עזים בלבנון: צה"ל הכניס את "מכונת המלחמה" למערכה" [Fierce battles in Lebanon: The IDF brought the "war machine" into the campaign]. Ma'ariv Online. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  17. ^ "התמרון הקרקעי בלבנון: סוכל ניסיון חטיפת גופה בתקרית באמצעות אגוז, אומרים בצה"ל - זה הרגע שבו יוכלו תושבי מטולה לחזור לבתיהם" [The ground maneuver in Lebanon: an attempt to abduct a body in the incident with a nut was thwarted, the IDF says - this is the moment when the residents of Metula will be able to return to their homes]. Israel Hayom. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  18. ^ McCready, Alastair. "Updates: Hezbollah fights Israeli troops in Lebanon as 5 killed in Beirut". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  19. ^ McCready, Alastair; Siddiqui, Usaid (2 October 2024). "Israeli forces cross 'Blue Line': Lebanon army". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024. "An Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line approximately 400 metres into Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and Odaisseh, then withdrew after a short period," the army said on X.
  20. ^ "More from Hezbollah". Al Jazeera. 3 October 2024. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  21. ^ "Iran Update, October 9, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
  22. ^ The demolitions clearing Israel’s ‘first belt’ in Lebanon, Financial Times
  23. ^ "Israeli army destroyed around 12 percent of Lebanese border villages". The New Arab. 3 November 2024.