Beforehand sporadic combating escalated on 8 October 2023 – the day after the unprecedented assault on Israel by Hamas gunmen that triggered the conflict in Gaza.
Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians.
The group has since launched greater than 8,000 rockets at northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. It has additionally fired anti-tank missiles at armoured automobiles and attacked navy targets with explosive drones.
The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) has retaliated with air strikes and tank and artillery hearth in opposition to Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
Greater than 70,000 individuals have been displaced by the combating in northern Israel, whereas greater than 110,000 have been displaced on the Lebanese aspect of the border.
Tensions soared after the killing of 12 children and young people in a rocket attack within the Golan Heights on 27 July. Israel stated Hezbollah carried out the assault, however the group denied involvement.
On 30 July, the IDF introduced that it had killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The next day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Israel neither confirmed nor denied any involvement.
On 25 August, the IDF said its jets had pre-emptively struck thousands of Hezbollah rocket launchers, after figuring out that the group was getting ready an assault in retaliation for the killing of Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah stated it nonetheless managed to launch a whole lot of rockets and drones at Israel. Nevertheless, it didn’t goal main cities in Israel and didn’t deploy its extra refined weapons.
There was one other important escalation on 17 and 18 September, when 39 individuals had been killed and hundreds wounded after pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of Hezbollah exploded.
Hassan Nasrallah blamed Israel for the assaults and stated they’d “crossed all purple strains”. Israel neither confirmed nor denied being behind the blasts.
Hezbollah suffered one other setback on 20 September, when no less than 16 members, together with high navy commanders Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wahbi, had been killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. These killed additionally included kids and different civilians.
Two days later, the group sought revenge for Aqil’s loss of life by firing longer-range weapons deep inside Israel, sending hundreds of Israelis to bomb shelters and damaging properties close to the town of Haifa.
Lebanon’s well being ministry stated no less than 613 individuals had been killed as of 20 September – earlier than the IDF carried out a whole lot of air strikes as a part of a brand new “offensive operation”. Most of these killed since October had been believed to be Hezbollah fighters, however no less than 147 had been civilians, in response to the ministry.
In Israel, authorities say no less than 49 individuals have been killed as a direct results of assaults.