Israel Lifts Veil on Strikes Against Hezbollah in Syria

Latest Developments

Israeli air and land forces have struck more than 50 Hezbollah targets in Syria since the Gaza war began, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) disclosed on February 3. In a televised briefing, IDF chief spokesperson Adm. Daniel Hagari showed a map of Syria including the coordinates of Israeli military strikes on “Hezbollah infrastructure.” Adm. Hagari added, “We are continuing to take action. Everywhere Hezbollah is present, we shall be. We will take action everywhere required in the Middle East.”

In Lebanon, he said, Israeli forces have killed more than 200 terrorists. The IDF has attacked some 3,400 Hezbollah targets, including 120 border lookout positions, 40 weapons stores, and more than 40 command centers (some of which were manned). “Since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah has been trying to divert our attention from the warfighting in Gaza. It has been doing this as an emissary of, and with the encouragement of, Iran,” Hagari explained. He indicated that, if war becomes necessary on the northern front, Israeli forces have been training extensively “to ensure that when given an order we will be ready to attack immediately.”

Expert Analysis

“It has been 120 days since Hezbollah terrorists launched major and unprovoked attacks on Israel, displacing tens of thousands of its northern residents and turning them into refugees in their own country. On balance, Hezbollah again miscalculated and suffered significant losses at the hands of the IDF. The Lebanese people need to realize that they cannot afford more such miscalculations by a foreign-backed terrorist group controlling their national fate.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO       

“On the same weekend that the U.S. military struck Iranian-backed targets in Syria and Iraq, Israel is making clear that its retaliatory reach is unrestricted. Iran needs to understand that its regional brinkmanship is exposed and costly.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

Israel Securing Its Northern Border

The IDF has openly fought Hezbollah in its Lebanese heartland, since the Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group opened a front there in solidarity with Hamas. Anticipating that Hezbollah would join Hamas after the Palestinian terrorist group executed its October 7, 2023 massacre, the IDF deployed tens of thousands of troops in three divisions along the northern border, according to Adm. Hagari. This is in addition to the largely-undeclared IDF campaign to stem attacks from neighboring Syria.

Related Analysis

“U.S. Strikes IRGC and Iranian-Backed Proxies in Iraq and Syria,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran Evacuates IRGC Officers From Syria,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Threats Prevent Israeli Return to Northern Border Communities,” FDD Flash Brief