Latest Developments
Hezbollah terrorists wounded two Israeli soldiers in a rocket attack on northern Israel on February 6. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that “terrorists launched several projectiles towards Margaliot in northern Israel. Following the attack sirens sounded warning people of the imminent threat. IDF artillery retaliated and struck the sources of the fire.” The two lightly wounded soldiers were evacuated to a hospital, the IDF said.
This attack followed rocket fire on February 5 that targeted the northern Israeli city of Nahariya plus a barrage of rockets targeting numerous Israeli communities along the Israel-Lebanon border. Hezbollah has fired more than 2,000 rockets at Israel since October 8, when it began launching attacks to support Hamas. Two Israeli soldiers were also wounded in a Hezbollah attack on January 29.
Expert Analysis
“Hezbollah continues to carry out attacks on northern Israel, threatening civilian communities and spreading havoc across a wide swath of the border. The Iranian-backed terrorist group uses rockets, missiles, and drones to target civilian communities. This has forced more than 80,000 Israelis from their homes. Hezbollah must be deterred from future attacks, and the international community should support Israel’s request to remove Hezbollah terrorists from the border.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow
“Hezbollah’s strategy is failing to stop Israel from destroying Hamas in Gaza. Separately, possible Israeli military action threatens Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River. Thus, as a result of launching unprovoked attacks against northern Israel following the October 7 terrorist attack, Hezbollah is now facing a much more challenging situation than before the war started.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal
“Hezbollah’s missile and rocket threat is more than 10 times the size of pre-war Hamas, and its fighters are deeply embedded within local Lebanese villages. Northern Israeli communities will not return to their homes until the government can assure them they will never face a northern October 7. Some believe this can be resolved diplomatically. But the only diplomatic arrangement Hezbollah will ever support is one that keeps it intact as Iran’s primary deterrent on Israel’s border.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor
Israeli Warplanes Target Hezbollah Military Base
Sirens sounded in a number of northern Israeli communities throughout the day on February 6, indicating rocket threats. The IDF reported on February 6 that “fighter jets targeted a Hezbollah military base near Marwahin in southern Lebanon.” The strikes followed other overnight operations in Lebanon by the IDF, in which Hezbollah “operational facilities near Meiss El Jabal” were also struck, the IDF said. Israel used artillery to pre-empt potential threats, the IDF noted. “Hezbollah’s ongoing terrorist activity and attacks against Israel violate UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The IDF will continue to defend Israel’s borders from any threat,” the IDF said on February 2, a sentiment Israel has expressed repeatedly since October 8.