Hezbollah Attacks Tel Aviv Twice on Eve of Jewish Holiday

Latest Developments

The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah launched four rockets towards Tel Aviv and nearby population centers on October 23. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), “some of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified.” The attack was the second time on the same day that Hezbollah targeted Israel’s most populous city, with the latter barrage arriving shortly after Jews began celebrating the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah — the same holidays that witnessed the Hamas massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.  

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken — visiting Israel in an effort to resuscitate failed ceasefire negotiations with Hamas and rein in the conflict with Hezbollah — had to seek shelter in his hotel during the first attack on Tel Aviv.

In response to that attack, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah’s control centers in the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre after warning civilians to evacuate in areas where it planned to strike. Later that day, Israel also destroyed an office in Beirut used by the pro-Iranian media outlet Al-Mayadeen.

Hezbollah media relations office chief Mohammad Afif said on October 22 that Hezbollah will not negotiate to end hostilities with Israel while the fighting continues. Afif made the announcement during a press conference in Beirut that was cut short by a warning from the IDF that it was planning to bomb the press conference’s location. Afif also said that Hezbollah claimed responsibility for damaging the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 19 in a drone strike.

On the same day, the IDF confirmed that it had killed Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine during a strike on Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood three weeks earlier. Safieddine, a cousin of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, served as the head of the Hezbollah Executive Council and was a member of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, the organization’s most senior military forum. After the death of Nasrallah, Safieddine was seen as his most likely replacement. Hezbollah issued a statement confirming Safieddine’s death on the following day. Ali Hussein Hazima, commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, was killed in the same strike as Safieddine. According to the IDF, Hazima was “responsible for directing numerous attacks on IDF soldiers.”

Expert Analysis

“Israel has dealt Hezbollah critical but not yet fatal blows. Israel must press on, continuing to degrade all of Hezbollah’s capabilities — military, social, and otherwise — to impede its ‘day after’ regeneration. The Israelis and the international community must not repeat the mistake of the 2006 war and prematurely halt this fight against Hezbollah in the hopes that a non-existent Lebanese option will finish the job.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“After suffering significant setbacks from Israel’s military operations in recent weeks, Hezbollah is attempting to project stability and control. The organization is not reacting in a knee-jerk manner; it has gradually increased the scope and lethality of its missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets. For now, it appears Hezbollah has regained its footing, but it has not restored the strategic leverage it previously held over Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“Israel is significantly decimating Hezbollah’s top commanders and eroding the group’s infrastructure and capabilities in the south, thereby limiting its capacity to launch a ground offensive against northern Israel. However, Hezbollah remains a persistent threat, particularly through its deployment of long-range missiles and drones. Israel must capitalize on the momentum it has gained over the past month and sustain its military pressure on the Iran-backed organization to achieve its military objectives.” — Ahmad Sharawi, FDD Research Analyst

Related Analysis

“Israel Is Hurting Hezbollah. But It Can’t Rely on Lebanon to Finish the Job,” by David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi

“Israel Strikes at Hezbollah’s Iran-Backed Banks in Lebanon,” FDD Flash Brief

“U.S. Pushes for Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution to Disarm Hezbollah,” FDD Flash Brief

“The Road to the Third Lebanon War,” by David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi