Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Northern Israel as IDF Chief Warns of Escalation

Latest Developments

Hezbollah fired two rockets at the northern Israeli community of Arab al-Aramshe on January 18. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the rockets fell in open areas. Israeli “fighter jets struck Hezbollah terror infrastructure in the area of Al-Adisa in southern Lebanon,” the IDF said. The Hezbollah attack took place a day after IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said that the likelihood of war with Hezbollah is higher than in the past. “I don’t know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past,” Halevi said.

Expert Analysis

“Hezbollah continues to fire rockets and anti-tank missiles at northern Israel, threatening Israelis and preventing them from returning to their communities. Hezbollah’s threats should be removed from the border region, and the Iranian-backed group must be deterred from further attacks. Israel must be supported in its actions to deter Hezbollah and prevent terrorist threats to northern Israel.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“While the likelihood of war with Hezbollah is possible, the past three months have shown that both sides are not interested in widening the conflict that has generally been limited to the border area. However, any major incident causing significant casualties on either side can ignite a full-scale confrontation.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

IDF Chief of Staff Visits Military Drill in North

Halevi visited northern Israel on January 17 to meet with high-level IDF commanders and view a military exercise. “We are in a time of increasing readiness for fighting in Lebanon. We have a lot of lessons from the fighting in Gaza, many of which are very relevant to fighting in Lebanon, and there are some that must be adapted,” Halevi said. He emphasized the importance of returning to their homes the 80,000 Israelis who were evacuated from the north due to daily Hezbollah attacks. According to the IDF, more than 2,000 rockets have been fired from Lebanon at northern Israel since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Hezbollah Attacks Continue Daily

Hezbollah launched rockets and an anti-tank missile from Lebanon at Israel on January 17, targeting communities near the Mediterranean Sea. The IDF responded by striking the terrorist cell responsible. “We are continually engaged in eliminating and diminishing Hezbollah’s abilities and pushing it back. There’s still much work to be done, much to do to achieve the desired result of enhanced security, so that we can bring the northern communities back home,” said Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of Israel’s Northern Command, on January 15.

Related Analysis

“Israel Hints at Lebanon Ground Operations,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Targets Northern Israel with Rocket Fire,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel focuses on security in north amid Hezbollah threats,” FDD Flash Brief