Hezbollah Attack on Northern Israel Kills One, Injures Nine

Latest Developments

A Hezbollah attack on northern Israel on March 4 killed one person and injured at least nine others. The attack targeted Moshav Margaliot, a community near the Israel-Lebanon border. “The victim was a foreign worker employed in a local orchard and he was found among the trees by emergency medical teams,” said Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom, according to Ynet. All of the injured were foreign workers as well. The wounded, including two in serious condition, were evacuated to local hospitals.

Hezbollah has carried out thousands of attacks on Israel since it chose to support Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7. For example, on February 14, a Hezbollah attack on the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Northern Command base in Safed killed an Israeli soldier and injured eight others.

Expert Analysis

“Hezbollah’s mouthpiece al-Manar reported the Margaliot casualties as ‘Israelis,’ which is no doubt a convenient bit of auto-gaslighting by a terrorist group desperate to forget the fact that it has suffered more than 20-to-one losses at the hands of the IDF since October.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“Hezbollah’s unprovoked aggression against northern Israel has forced the evacuation of dozens of communities with tens of thousands of residents. But some farms have remained active, lest harvests wither and the country lose swathes of its Galilee breadbasket. For Lebanese terrorists, that presents civilian targets and the opportunity to achieve a scorched earth ‘victory’ ahead of any ceasefire.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“Hezbollah’s deadly attack on Israel once again illustrates how the Iranian-backed terrorist organization poses a clear and present danger to Israel and the region. Hezbollah has carried out attacks on Israel for five months and believes it has impunity to continue these deadly strikes. It is essential that Israel be supported in deterring further Hezbollah attacks. Hezbollah threats must be removed from the border.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Hezbollah believes that, even though it is killing civilians and IDF troops, Israel will not respond in a manner that will trigger an all-out war. This demonstrates Hezbollah’s willingness to sacrifice its fighters and military assets in order to inflict casualties on the Jewish state.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Hezbollah Attacks Target Communities in Northern Israel

Hezbollah carried out attacks on the northern Israeli communities of Metula, Ghajar, and Malkia on March 3. IDF aircraft responded by targeting a Hezbollah military compound and terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. Sirens also sounded in numerous other northern Israeli communities. The IDF fired an air defense missile interceptor at a suspicious aerial object during one of the incidents. Hezbollah has used drones to target Israel since October.

Hezbollah attacks forced Israel to evacuate 80,000 people from the north in October. The continuing attacks and frequent sirens across communities there make it difficult for residents to return. Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, have vowed that Israel will increase its responses to Hezbollah threats in order to enable the residents to return.

Related Analysis

“Israel Intercepts Rockets Near Haifa,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Rockets Target IDF Base in Northern Israel,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israeli Airstrike Kills Two Hezbollah Terrorists, Including Senior Radwan Commander,” FDD Flash Brief