Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

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Slain Hezbollah commander fought in some of the group’s biggest battles, had close ties to leaders

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-commander-radwan-wissam-altawil-ba24fb2fbb7560405d7137196a5c4737?

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Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither country wants The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Read more.

Why this matters: Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced. Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. But both Hezbollah and the Israeli military have expanded capabilities since then — though both countries also are more fragile.   Despite the rhetoric, neither side appears to want war, said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon. However, “a miscalculation could potentially trigger a wider conflict that would be very difficult to control,” he said.   A full-scale war would likely spread to multiple fronts, escalating the involvement of Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen — and perhaps even draw in Iran itself. It could also drag the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, deeper into the conflict.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ EU to launch a Red Sea mission within 3 weeks to protect ships from Houthi attacks   UN agencies rally around UNRWA in Gaza as some top donors cut funding   South Africa says Israel is already ignoring ICJ ruling ordering it to prevent deaths in Gaza

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A look at the arsenals of Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia as cross-border strikes escalate

BEIRUT (AP) — The slow-simmering cross-border conflict between Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Israeli forces escalated Wednesday, reviving fears that the daily clashes could expand into an all-out war.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hezbollah-lebanon-weapons-airstrikes-b34c4717671599c293fc359f848b5651?

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Israeli airstrikes killed 10 Lebanese civilians in a single day. Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate for the deadly Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. The death toll of the previous day was the highest of daily cross-border exchanges that have accompanied Israel’s war in Gaza. Read more.

Key points: The fatalities marked a significant escalation after more than four months of daily cross-border exchanges triggered by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Government institutions, schools and Lebanese University were to close on Thursday in protest of the airstrikes.   While most analysts believe Hezbollah and Israel have little appetite for a full-blown war, they fear that any miscalculation could trigger a major conflict. The U.S., France and other countries have dispatched diplomats in recent weeks to try to tamp down tensions on the border.   Hezbollah is the Arab world’s most significant paramilitary force. Backed by Iran, its fighters have gained experience during Syria’s 13-year conflict in which they helped tip the balance of power in favor of government forces.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israeli forces storm main hospital in southern Gaza after prolonged standoff, local officials say   Israel complains after Vatican denounces ‘carnage’ and disproportionate response in Gaza   A look at the arsenals of Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia as cross-border strikes escalate

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Strikes along Israel-Lebanon border kill 4 people as US envoy visits Beirut to press a cease-fire

BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon killed three paramedics from the militant group Hezbollah on Monday, state media said, hours after a missile strike blamed on the militants killed at least one foreign worker in northern Israel.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-amos-hochstein-berri-hezbollah-2b280376d20def899f9874b10b183fff?

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Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military. The group has stepped up its attacks on Israel in recent weeks, particularly since the Israeli incursion into Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Read more.

Why this matters: Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months. Still, Thursday appears to have been the first successful missile airstrike it has launched from within Israeli airspace. In adapting its attacks, Hezbollah has also managed to reduce the numbers of fighters lost compared with the early weeks of the conflict.   Hezbollah’s use of more advanced weaponry has allowed it to strike deeper inside Israel. The weapons include drones capable of firing missiles, explosive drones and a small type of guided missile known as Almas, or Diamond, that was used to attack the base controlling the balloon. Their use has raised alarms within the Israeli military.   On Monday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated in a speech that there will be no end to the fighting along the Lebanon-Israel border until Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip come to an end. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also vowed in a speech last week that “we will stand, we will achieve our goals, we will hit Hamas, we will destroy Hezbollah, and we will bring security.”

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US military says first aid shipment has been driven across a newly built US pier into the Gaza Strip   A Palestinian converted to Judaism. An Israeli soldier saw him as a threat and opened fire   For the children of Gaza, war means no school — and no indication when formal learning might return

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The Latest | Hezbollah rocket barrage ups pressure on Israel as Gaza cease-fire negotiations drag on

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired hundreds of rockets toward northern Israel on Wednesday, hours after an Israeli airstrike killed a senior commander — the hightest-ranking member of the group to die in eight months of fighting.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-mideast-latest-06-12-2024-847f2f13670cf2fa8a92180de9c2c36b?

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Israel warned Hezbollah of the prospect of "all-out war" after the Lebanese militant group published a 9-minute video, purportedly taken by a drone, showing Israeli military and civilian locations in several Israeli cities. The publication of the video follows months of intensifying cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israel in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks and the ensuing military campaign by Israeli forces in Gaza. The US and its allies have for months warned Hezbollah — an Iran-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East — against escalating the conflict in Israel. Hezbollah, meanwhile, has said in the past that it will only stop firing on Israel if it stops the war in Gaza.

⚡ U.S.: Bibi video hurts effort to avoid new war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new feud with the Biden administration is hampering U.S.-Israeli diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions on the Lebanese border and avoid war with Hezbollah, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.

• Why it matters: Biden officials tell Axios they're concerned Netanyahu's words in a video he posted yesterday could create "daylight" between the two allies. That could further erode Israel's deterrence power in the region — especially in the eyes of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah and the group's main backer Iran.

Nasrallah said today his militia could still invade northern Israel if the conflict escalates.

? Between the lines: U.S. officials interviewed for this story said they don't understand what Netanyahu was trying to do or what he was hoping to achieve, other than scoring political points domestically.

• In private, Biden's team was angry and shocked by Netanyahu's ingratitude. Some U.S. officials said Netanyahu looked "unhinged" in the video.

Keep reading.

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Netanyahu warns a Lebanon war could be next Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the current phase of fighting against Hamas in Gaza is winding down, setting the stage for Israel to send more troops to its northern border to confront the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Read more.

Key points: The Israeli leader said in a lengthy TV interview that while the army is close to completing its current ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, that would not mean the war against Hamas is over.   Hezbollah is much stronger than Hamas, and opening a new front could risk a larger, region-wide war involving other Iranian proxies and perhaps Iran itself.   Hezbollah has said it will continue battling Israel until a cease-fire is reached in Gaza. The group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warned Israel last week against launching a war, saying Hezbollah has new weapons and intelligence capabilities that could help it target more critical positions deeper inside Israel.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Netanyahu says he won’t agree to a deal that ends the war in Gaza, testing the latest truce proposal   Thousands of Iran-backed fighters offer to join Hezbollah in its fight against Israel   Democrats wrestle with whether to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress

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New threat of wider Middle East war

Mourners attend a funeral today for the 12 people killed in the Golan Heights attack. Photo: Amir Levy/Getty Images The Biden administration fears that a rocket attack from Lebanon that hit a soccer field in the Golan Heights and killed 12 children and teens could lead to an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid. The big picture: U.S. officials are also concerned that, without a ceasefire in Gaza, a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group is becoming more likely, which would draw the U.S. deeper into the regional crisis. "What happened today could be the trigger we have been worried about and tried to avoid for 10 months," a U.S. official told Axios. IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hezbollah was responsible for the attack, calling it the "most serious targeting" of Israeli civilians since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. Hezbollah said it had no connection to the incident. The latest: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said today that the U.S. assesses Hezbollah fired the rocket and that the administration is trying to prevent further escalation. The Israeli security cabinet also convened today to discuss what is likely to be a significant military response.

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Israel weighs response to Hezbollah after a rocket from Lebanon kills 12 youths on a soccer field

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East braced for a potential flare-up in violence on Sunday after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children and teens in what the military called the deadliest attack on civilians since Oct. 7. It raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and Hezbollah, which in a rare move denied it was responsible.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-lebanon-hezbollah-soccer-majdal-shams-druze-e9430da6eefada8e2f833f5f914190aa?

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Israel says it killed Hezbollah's top military commander in Beirut airstrike

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that it killed Hezbollah's top military commander, Fuad Shukr, in a "targeted airstrike" in Beirut in retaliation for the rocket attack that killed 12 children and teenagers in northern Israel last Saturday.

https://www.axios.com/2024/07/30/israel-airstrike-beirut-hezbollah-commander?

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Israel-Hamas war latest: Hezbollah fires more than 50 rockets, hitting Israeli-annexed Golan Heights

Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Wednesday launched more than 50 rockets, hitting a number of private homes in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-latest-21-august-2024-e81f90961a6b16e47e3203e3a0261218?

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Israel, Hezbollah exchange heaviest strikes yet

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon today. Photo: Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images Israel hit dozens of targets in southern Lebanon overnight in what Israeli officials say was a preemptive strike against Hezbollah, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. The strike comes ahead of what was expected to be a major missile and drone attack on Israel by Hezbollah, Israeli and U.S. intelligence officials say. Hezbollah has said it is preparing to launch a major attack against Israel in retaliation for the assassination of its top military commander in Beirut by Israel. Over the last 48 hours, the U.S. and Israel obtained intelligence that showed Hezbollah was preparing to attack imminently, Israeli and U.S. officials said. Zoom in: Israeli and U.S. officials say Hezbollah's attack was supposed to begin at 5 a.m. local time today. Several minutes before that, more than 100 Israeli fighter jets attacked and destroyed thousands of Hezbollah's rocket launching barrels, the IDF said. The IDF said most of the rockets were aimed at targets in northern Israel, but some were long range missiles which were aimed at strategic targets in central Israel, like the Mossad headquarters. The IDF said it has also intercepted dozens of drones that were making their way to central Israel. Eventually Hezbollah fired more than 300 rockets and several dozen drones. The group said in a statement its retaliation was successful. What to watch: The Hezbollah retaliation, which U.S. and Israeli officials feared could ignite a much bigger crisis in the region, has been contained for now, officials say. But this was just the beginning, they say. Iran still hasn't retaliated for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. That response, while delayed for several weeks, could still come. Get the latest.

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?? Israel-Hezbollah looks contained (for now)

This sequence shows Hezbollah drones being intercepted yesterday over northern Israel. Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images Both Israel and Hezbollah tried to present dueling strikes as a major success yesterday, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The exchange of blows, which U.S. and Israeli officials feared could ignite a much larger crisis in the region, appears contained for now, officials said. Israel said it managed to thwart a large-scale Hezbollah attack with a preemptive strike. Hezbollah claimed its major attack was successful and said it had ended its military operations for the day. ? Zoom in: Hezbollah leaders stressed that Iran and the Houthis are going to retaliate against Israel for the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran and the Israeli attack on a Houthi-controlled port in Yemen. He said Hezbollah finished its response, but added that the militia could launch another attack in the future. Keep reading.

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Its economy and infrastructure battered, can Lebanon afford a war with Israel?

BEIRUT (AP) — The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-war-economy-d5433642fcfce79facf8a1369b14d0f0?

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Israel says halting Hezbollah attacks is now a war goal as officials warn of a wider operation Israel announced Tuesday that halting Hezbollah’s attacks in the north in order to allow its residents to return is now an official war goal, as the country considers a wider military operation that could ignite an all-out conflict. Read more.

Why this matters: Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began shortly after the outbreak of the nearly yearlong Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel has regularly launched airstrikes in response and has targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanders.   Tit-for-tat strikes have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Hezbollah has said it would halt the attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, but those talks have repeatedly bogged down. The group has said while it does not want a wider war it is prepared for one. The United States has pressed for restraint even as it has rushed military aid to Israel, warning its close ally that a wider war would not achieve its goals.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US airs frustration with Israel’s military about strikes in Gaza   Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Gaza, including 4 children, Palestinians say   The Palestinian economy is in free fall and will require billions to rebuild, the UN says

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? Israel didn't tell U.S. about pager plan

Nine people, including a child, were killed today when hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded. Some 2,700 people were injured.

• Israel did not tell the U.S. that the coordinated attack was coming, Axios' Barak Ravid reports.
• The Biden administration has been trying to persuade Israeli officials not to start a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

? Behind the scenes: A source with knowledge of the issue said Israel saw the operation as a way to strike Hezbollah without escalating to all-out war.

• The goal was to undermine Hezbollah's confidence and create a sense that it is totally penetrated by Israeli intelligence services, the source said.
• Israeli intelligence services assessed ahead of the operation that Hezbollah would likely retaliate with a major attack against Israel.

ps:Once again Israel shows that they can not be counted on by the US to do the right thing!!

Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers and blames Israel. At least 9 dead, thousands injured

BEIRUT (AP) — Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, killing at least nine people — including an 8-year-old girl — and wounding several thousand, officials said. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-hezbollah-israel-exploding-pagers-8893a09816410959b6fe94aec124461b?

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What to know about the deadly pager explosions targeting Hezbollah Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have blamed Israel for the nearly simultaneous detonation of hundreds of pagers used by the militant group’s members in an attack Tuesday that killed at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounded nearly 3,000 others, according to officials. Read more.

What to know: A U.S. official said Israel briefed the U.S. on the operation — in which small amounts of explosives hidden in the pagers were detonated — on Tuesday after it was concluded. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the information publicly. The Israeli military has declined to comment.   Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the Iran-backed militant group’s members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group’s movements. As a result, the organization uses pagers to communicate.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers   US military acknowledges Yemen’s Houthi rebels shot down 2 MQ-9 Reaper drones   Exploding pagers used in apparent Israeli attack on Hezbollah made in Hungary, accused firm says

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Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a ‘new phase’ of war

BEIRUT (AP) — Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting devices a day after pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and officials for the militant group said. At least 20 people were killed and more than 450 wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said.

https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-exploding-pagers-hezbollah-syria-ce6af3c2e6de0a0dddfae48634278288?

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? NYT: Israeli agents built pagers

A walkie-talkie that exploded inside a house in Lebanon yesterday. Photo: AP IEDs created from pagers and walkie-talkies, and reports of exploding solar-energy systems, herald a possibly limitless front in future wars — where everyday items can't be trusted, Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest writes. Why it matters: Supply chain warfare is here to stay. And the targets are soft. The N.Y. Times calls the exploding pagers "a Modern-Day Trojan Horse." ? The plot thickens: The supposed pager-maker, BAC Consulting of Hungary, was said to be under contract to produce the devices for Taiwan's Gold Apollo. "In fact," the N.Y. Times reports, "it was part of an Israeli front, according to three intelligence officers briefed on the operation." "They said at least two other shell companies were created as well to mask the real identities of the people creating the pagers: Israeli intelligence officers." Between the lines: Blowing up factories and raiding supply lines is nothing new. What's unprecedented in these attacks are the spy-thriller-style backdoors and execution. Hezbollah said the deaths — at least 32 killed over two days (12 Tuesday and 20 Wednesday) — included many military fighters. Lots of civilian casualties, including two children, were also reported. The detonations inside the group's strongholds will psychologically cripple its fighters as well as paralyze command and control. That suggests the boobytrapped tools may have been meant to preempt a broader conflict. ? The big picture: A broader concern is the vulnerability of products sold to the public.

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Doctors and first responders are among those who still use pagers

The small plastic box that beeped and flashed numbers was a lifeline to Laurie Dove in 1993. Pregnant with her first baby in a house beyond any town in rural Kansas, Dove used the little black device to keep in touch with her husband as he delivered medical supplies. He carried one, too. They had a code.

https://apnews.com/article/pagers-explosions-lebanon-doctors-security-israel-f35bd0f0e0a57bb5f37c139d1f32926d?

Defense secretary postpones trip to Israel amid U.S. concerns of war with Lebanon

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has postponed his visit to Israel planned for early next week due to the escalation in fighting on the Israeli-Lebanese border, two Israeli officials briefed on the matter told Axios.

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/19/defense-secretary-postpones-israel-trip-lebanon-war-concerns?

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Hezbollah leader says Israel crossed a 'red line' The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah is promising retaliation for deadly attacks on its communication devices after Israel’s defense minister announced a “new phase” of the war. Read more.

Recent developments: Hezbollah and the Israeli military traded new strikes over the border on Thursday. Fears are increasing that 11 months of exchanges of fire between the two sides will escalate into all-out war.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Israel warned the US that an operation in Lebanon was coming but gave no details, officials say   Israeli soldiers pushed three apparently lifeless bodies from roofs during a West Bank raid   Pro-Palestinian protester wearing keffiyeh charged with violating New York county’s face mask ban

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Israel killed top Hezbollah military commander in Beirut strike

Hezbollah confirmed its head of military operations, Ibrahim Aqil, was killed on Friday in an Israeli airstrike on a southern Beirut neighborhood. Lebanon's health ministry said at least 12 people were killed and dozens more were wounded.

https://www.axios.com/2024/09/20/israel-strikes-hezbollah-military-commanders-beirut?

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Israel-Hamas war latest: Fears of all-out war rise as Israel and Hezbollah step up attacks

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanon’s Hezbollah launched over 100 rockets into northern Israel early Sunday in response to ramped-up Israeli attacks that killed dozens of people in Beirut, including a veteran leader of the militant group.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hezbollah-hamas-latest-22-september-2024-a593f6b84bb83a70480169bc94965e9a?