The following is the Oct. 25, 2024, Congressional Research Service report, Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah: Conflict and Escalation.
From the report
A day after Hamas (a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization, or FTO) led October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel that began their ongoing war, Lebanese Hezbollah (another FTO) started shooting rockets and missiles across Lebanon’s border into Israel in a show of solidarity with Hamas. Subsequently, Hezbollah and Israel repeatedly exchanged fire across the border, and some 60,000 Israeli and 95,000 Lebanese residents evacuated the border area, with displacement in Israel at least partly due to concerns about a possible October 7-style attack from Hezbollah. Iran has long considered Hezbollah its most capable partner in its “axis of resistance” versus Israel. Debate persists about the degree to which Hezbollah acts independently or as Iran’s proxy. After weeks of escalation, Israel landed major blows against Hezbollah’s leadership and capabilities in September 2024, and launched ground operations in October while stepping up its aerial campaign. Hezbollah continues to fire missiles into Israel. Since October 2023, over 2,500 people from Lebanon and more than 70 from Israel have reportedly been killed.
Lebanon now faces a humanitarian crisis on top of existing political and economic fragility. To date, the conflict has reportedly displaced 1.3 million people, with some fleeing to neighboring countries.
Escalation of Conflict
In July and August 2024, attacks by both sides escalated. A rocket attributed to Hezbollah killed young people in the Golan Heights, Israel killed Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in response, and the two sides engaged in a major exchange of fire. On September 16, Israel’s cabinet added a goal of returning evacuated Israelis to its official war objectives. A series of ensuing operations claimed by or attributed to Israel took a heavy toll on Hezbollah leadership (and some Lebanese civilians) and highlighted Israeli intelligence and military capabilities. These included the explosion of hundreds of electronic devices apparently used by Hezbollah members, and Israeli airstrikes on hundreds of Hezbollah leadership and military targets.
Then, on September 27, Israeli airstrikes in Beirut targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters, killing its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and other senior leaders. Nasrallah had led Hezbollah for 32 years, and had become one of the most prominent leaders in the Middle East. His death raises questions about Hezbollah succession and capabilities and possible responses by Iran, Hezbollah, or other armed groups. Israel killed a potential successor to Nasrallah, Hashem Safieddine, in an October 4 strike.
In early October, Israel’s military said it began “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” into southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, with air and artillery support. An unnamed Israeli official reportedly said that Israel did not intend to occupy southern Lebanon, but sought to create a “security perimeter” for Lebanese or UN forces and facilitate the return home of Israeli evacuees. While supporting the dismantling of Hezbollah “attack infrastructure,” U.S. officials have reportedly urged Israel to avoid a major ground invasion, and warned that—as with previous Israeli operations in Lebanon in 1982 and 2006—the conflict’s scope and lethal impact could spiral.
Israel has reportedly bombarded many Hezbollah-linked targets throughout Lebanon and in Syria, and has called for the evacuation of numerous communities in southern Lebanon (including some north of the Litani River). Hezbollah has continued to fire missiles into Israel, including an attack targeting one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residences. Amid reports from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) of Israeli fire inflicting some injuries and damages on its troops and facilities, President Joe Biden and officials from several other countries pressed Israel to avoid endangering UNIFIL positions. Israel has called on UNIFIL forces to relocate.
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Israel-Hezbollah: Selected Historical Events 1982-1985 |
Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon elicits some resistance amid Lebanon’s ongoing civil war. Elements from Lebanon’s Shia community—including some responsible for fatal attacks on U.S. and French installations—establish Hezbollah with help from Iran. |
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1985 |
Israeli military withdraws from central Lebanon, but maintains a zone of control in predominantly Shia-populated southern Lebanon with a Lebanese partner force. Hezbollah leads resistance to this zone. |
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1992-1994 |
Hezbollah bombings of Israel’s embassy (1992) and a Jewish community center (1994) in Argentina kill 29 and 85 people, respectively. |
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1996 |
Hezbollah attacks on Israel and Israeli forces trigger the 17-day Israeli “Operation Grapes of Wrath,” which kills more than 200 Lebanese. |
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2000 |
Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon, leading Hezbollah to claim victory. Hezbollah maintains that Israel still occupies Lebanese territory in disputed parts of the tri-border (Israel-Lebanon-Syria) area. |
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2006 |
Israel and Hezbollah engage in a 34-day war after a fatal Hezbollah attack and hostage-taking on an Israeli military position. In the war, some 160 Israelis and 1,200 Lebanese are killed. After the war, UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 calls for all non-Lebanese army forces to withdraw north of the Litani River; Hezbollah does not comply and starts to rearm. |
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2011-Present |
Hezbollah helps Iran defend regime of Bashar al Asad in the Syrian civil war. Territorial links from Iran to Lebanon through Iraq and Syria facilitate greater Iranian weapons supply (including precision-guided missiles) to Hezbollah, provoking regular Israeli military strikes in Syria starting around 2012 to prevent or delay these transfers. |
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