• 21 Aug, 2019

• By, Wikipedia

2024 Israeli Invasion Of Lebanon

Benjamin Netanyahu
Yoav Gallant

Brig. Gen. Guy Levi Naim Qassem
Hashem SafieddineUnits involved

 Israeli Ground Forces

• Northern Command
  •  36th Division
  • 91st Division
• Central Command
  • 98th Division

 Israeli Air Force UnknownStrength Unknown 20,000–100,000

On 30 September 2024, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) entered Lebanon in a series of raids as part of an escalation in the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict. On the same day, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) withdrew from the Blue Line. The Israeli army also said that the northern border is a closed military zone.

The operation followed a series of major Hezbollah setbacks in September, including the 17 and 18 September explosions of its handheld communication devices and the 20 September assassination of Ibrahim Aqil, commander of the elite Redwan Force. IDF airstrikes also targeted Hezbollah's military bases, command centers, airstrips, and weapons caches across southern Lebanon. These setbacks culminated in the 27 September assassination of Hassan Nasrallah and other senior commanders, including Ali Karki, commander of Hezbollah in south Lebanon in an airstrike that destroyed their underground headquarters in Beirut's Dahieh suburbs.

Since 8 October 2023– a day after the Hamas-led attack on Israel that began the ongoing Israel-Hamas war– Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas and part of the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance, joined the conflict by initiating attacks on northern Israel and the Golan Heights. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in cross-border military exchanges that have displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. From 7 October 2023 to 20 September 2024, there were 10,200 cross border attacks, of which Israel launched 8,300. The strikes have approximately displaced 96,000 Israelis and 1 million Lebanese. The last time Israel invaded southern Lebanon and engaged in ground combat with Hezbollah was during the month-long 2006 Lebanon War.

Israel demanded that Hezbollah implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (UNSCR 1701) and withdraw its forces north of the Litani River. Hezbollah has stated it will continue attacking Israel until Israel halts its operations in Gaza. Both Israel and Hezbollah have outstanding obligations under UNSCR 1701. Hezbollah has established strong military presence in southern Lebanon, storing rockets in civilian sites, building tunnels into Israel, and obstructing UNIFIL's access. Diplomatic efforts, led by U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein and France, have so far been unsuccessful in resolving the conflict.

The conflict escalated in September 2024. On 17 and 18 September, thousands of handheld pagers and walkie-talkies exploded in a coordinated series of attacks. The explosions killed 42 people and injured at least 3,500, including civilians. Reuters reported that, according to an unnamed Hezbollah official, 1,500 Hezbollah fighters were taken out of action due to injuries, with many blinded or having lost their hands. Despite Israel denying involvement with the attack, unnamed Israeli sources told Reuters and other media that it was orchestrated by Israel's intelligence service (Mossad) and military. In response, Hezbollah, who described the attack as a possible declaration of war by Israel, launched a rocket attack on northern Israel a few days later.

On 20 September, tensions further rose after Ibrahim Aqil was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut, along with other senior commanders from the unit. After ordering Lebanese citizens to evacuate, Israel began a series of airstrikes on 23 September, killing over 800 and injuring more than 5,000 in the first week.

On 27 September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, and several other senior Hezbollah leaders, including Ali Karki, commander of Hezbollah's southern front, were assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The strike took place while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at a headquarters located underground beneath residential buildings in Haret Hreik in the Dahieh suburb to the south of Beirut.

On 30 September, Israel informed the United States that it intended to carry out a ground maneuver in Lebanon aimed at clearing Hezbollah's infrastructure along the border. That evening, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) withdrew from the Israeli-Lebanese border to the north to a distance of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the border and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declared that the settlements of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi are a closed military area. Israeli troops were amassing on the border in Southern Lebanon, with Israel stating that they were preparing for a limited ground invasion.

On 30 September, IDF troops officially crossed the border into Lebanon in a series of small scale raids intended to precede a broader ground invasion. Witnesses have said that they have heard sounds of tanks in Southern Lebanon. There were also reports of heavy artillery striking the border towns of Southern Lebanon. The IDF called for evacuations in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, as they were preparing to bomb it. Hezbollah also claimed that it had confirmed hits on IDF soldiers in towns opposite of Odaisseh and Kafr Kila.

On 1 October, the IDF confirmed the existence of their ground operation in a statement on Telegram, specifying that they intended to strike Hezbollah infrastructure. Shortly after the release of this statement, IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari also confirmed the operation. Prior to the release of these statements, the IDF had made no announcements about the operation. Hezbollah launched 10 rockets from southern Lebanon to Israel and a drone towards central Israel. Hezbollah said that it targeted IDF sites, Israeli soldiers and settlements with 12 separate strikes.

An Israeli strike on the house of Munir al-Maqdah, a brigadier general of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in Lebanon in Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp killed at least five people.

Three rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Upper Galilee. An Israeli strike on a house in Al-Dawoudiya killed at least 10 people and injured five others.

•  France: Deployed a naval warship off the coast of Lebanon to aid in the evacuation of its nationals from Lebanon.

•  Canada: started evacuating its nationals from Lebanon by reserving 800 passenger seats on available commercial flights. The Canadian foreign minister said that "The security situation in Lebanon is becoming increasingly dangerous and volatile,".

•  Qatar: Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani held phone calls with Lebanon’s army chief and prime minister expressing "deep concern" over the situation.

•  United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated that UK had chartered a commercial flight for its citizens wishing to leave Lebanon and that the flight will leave on 2 October from the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport adding that "The safety of British citizens in Lebanon is our absolute priority,".

•  Italy: Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that Italy would be willing to send troops to the UN for the establishment of a Palestinian state due to instability caused by the invasion.