Draft:2024 Israel–Hezbollah war

2024 Israel–Hezbollah war
Part of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)
Date17 September 2024[a] – present
(2 months, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
 Israel  Hezbollah
Commanders and leaders
Israel Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel Yoav Gallant
Israel Herzi Halevi
Israel Tomer Bar
Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah X
Hezbollah Hashem Safieddine (MIA)
Hezbollah Naim Qassem
Hezbollah Ali Karaki X

The ongoing Israel–Hezbollah war[b] began in September 2024. It followed a conflict on the border between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that had begun in October 2023. This conflict escalated on 17–18 September 2024, when communications devices owned by Hezbollah exploded throughout Lebanon, killing 42 people and wounding thousands. On 23 September, Israel began an aerial bombing campaign against Hezbollah throughout the country. On the first day, at least 558 Lebanese were killed and more than 1,800 injured. On 1 October, Israel began an invasion of southern Lebanon. The Israeli military refers to its campaign since September as Operation Northern Arrows.[8] It is the second war between Israel and Hezbollah after the 2006 war.

Background

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Hezbollah and conflict with Israel

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Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim militant group and political party formed in 1982[9] to counter the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War.[10] In 2022, Hezbollah lost a majority in Parliament in 2022, though the organization holds an effective control over southern Lebanon.[10]

Israel–Hamas war and escalation

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On 8 October 2023, following an armed incursion by Hamas and other Palestinian nationalist groups, Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel.[10] According to The Wall Street Journal, Hezbollah officials attended several meetings with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in Beirut to plan the incursion.[11]

History

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Device explosions, airstrikes, and Nasrallah's assassination (September 2024)

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On 17 September, hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah operatives detonated after receiving a message.[12]

Israeli invasion of Lebanon (October 2024–present)

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On 3 October, Israel fired airstrikes south of Beirut intending to destroy a bunker where Hezbollah leaders convened, including Hashem Safieddine, the presumed successor to Nasrallah.[13]

Impact

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Casualties

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At least two Lebanese soldiers have been killed.[14] On 5 October, Israeli officials claimed that 440 Hezbollah operatives has been killed since the incursion began.[15]

Notes

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  1. ^ Following a series of pager and handheld radio explosions in Lebanon, Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah stated that Israel had declared war.[1]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple sources: [2][3][4][5][6][7]

References

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  1. ^ Ravid, Barak (19 September 2024). "Hezbollah leader calls Israeli pager attacks a "declaration of war"". Axios. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Strikes hit Beirut as Israel's war intensifies. Catch up here". CNN. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  3. ^ Baker, Aryn (2 October 2024). "What to Know About the Israel-Hezbollah War". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  4. ^ Morris, Loveday; Berger, Miriam; Rubin, Shira (2 October 2024). "Israeli military deaths in Lebanon raise questions over war's scope". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  5. ^ Malsin, Jared; Kalin, Stephen (2 October 2024). "Israel Reports First Deaths in Lebanon and Bolsters Forces Fighting Hezbollah". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 October 2024. The war has strained the country's hospitals, according to Lebanese authorities.
  6. ^ "Tracking Israel's war in Lebanon". The Economist. 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  7. ^ El Deeb, Sarah (2 October 2024). "Lebanon's rescuers struggle to respond to Israeli offensive while under fire and using old equipment". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 October 2024. War has upended Lebanon again
  8. ^ "'Northern Arrows': IDF announces the name of operation in Lebanon". The Jerusalem Post. 23 September 2024. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  9. ^ "What is Hezbollah? Lebanon's armed group supporting Hamas in its war with Israel". Reuters. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Livni, Ephrat (24 September 2024). "What to Know About Hezbollah, the Lebanese Militant Group". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  11. ^ Said, Summer; Faucon, Benoit; Kalin, Stephen (8 October 2023). "Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Exploding Pagers Targeting Hezbollah Kill 11 and Wound Thousands". The New York Times.
  13. ^ "Huge Explosions Rock Area South of Beirut". The New York Times.
  14. ^ El Chamaa, Mohamad; Pietsch, Bryan; Loveluck, Louisa (4 October 2024). "Two Lebanese soldiers killed, the first since Israel's current offensive began". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ "The Israeli military has killed at least 440 Hezbollah operatives since the beginning of its ground operations in southern Lebanon, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, said in a Saturday evening news briefing". The New York Times.