October 17, 2024 | Flash Brief
Five Israeli Commandos Killed in Lebanon
October 17, 2024 | Flash Brief
Five Israeli Commandos Killed in Lebanon
Latest Developments
Five Israeli commandos have been killed in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the army said on October 17. The casualties were members of the Golani reconnaissance regiment, including two officers, who were ambushed by Hezbollah on October 16 while clearing a village near the Israeli border of terrorist infrastructure. At least five other soldiers were wounded in the ambush.
Following the elimination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on September 28, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has battled a weakened Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, conducting raids on weapons storage facilities and other Hezbollah targets. Prior to the declared ground operation, the IDF revealed that they had carried out dozens of additional raids on terrorist strongholds in southern Lebanon since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks.
Expert Analysis
“Early reports indicated that at least two soldiers died while preventing the bodies of their comrades from being stolen by Hezbollah for propaganda and psychological warfare purposes. Israel was spared — at a terrible price — a Lebanese ‘hostage crisis’ while it deals with a real crisis of this kind in Gaza.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO
“Hezbollah, unlike Hamas or other terrorist groups, has well-equipped and trained fighters who have earned valuable combat experience during the Syrian civil war. Conversely, Israeli troops have been training many years for a war against Hezbollah and they are prepared to fight a well-entrenched enemy in southern Lebanon. While the Israeli military is superior in many ways over Hezbollah, the harsh reality of warfare has demonstrated time and again that battlefield losses are nearly inevitable.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal
Related Analysis
“Israel Strikes at Hezbollah Leaders as Attacks on North Intensify,” FDD Flash Brief
“Analysis: The impact of Israeli operations on Hezbollah’s organizational structure,” by David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi
“10 Things to Know About Hezbollah,” FDD Insight