September 29, 2024 - news on the Israel-Hezbollah war

Our live coverage of the war between Israel and Hezbollah has moved here.

Airstrikes hit Beirut early Monday — the first time strikes have landed within the city limits since October 7 — following a weekend of fighting on multiple fronts in the Middle East.

Israel expanded its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, stoking fears of a regional war, as Hezbollah pledged to continue fighting even as it faces growing losses in its senior ranks.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Israeli strikes killed over 100 people and wounded over 350 others in Lebanon on Sunday. The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah, including in attacks by fighter jets on about 45 targets near a village in southern Lebanon.

• Hezbollah’s leadership is shrinking, with at least three senior commanders confirmed killed Sunday, including Nabil Qaouk, a key commander and member of Hezbollah’s central council. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed Friday in a strike on the group’s underground headquarters, where 20 Hezbollah members were also present, including the head of Nasrallah’s security unit.

• Israel’s military also struck what it said were power plants and a seaport used by the Houthis in Yemen, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more. The Houthis, like Hamas and Hezbollah, are among the Iran-backed militant groups battling Israel since the war in Gaza began.

• Aid warnings: An escalation of the conflict in Lebanon would have “extremely dire consequences” for the already deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country, the aid agency Relief International said on Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced onto the streets as Israeli strikes destroy homes and infrastructure.

• US President Joe Biden said he is “working like hell” with allies to prevent an all-out war in the Middle East. Before Nasrallah’s killing, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off a ceasefire proposal brokered by the US.

Deadly fighting between Israel and Iran-backed militant groups has ramped up in recent weeks as the Israeli military expands its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Along with Hamas, which attacked Israel on October 7, Hezbollah and the Houthis are part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” an alliance of Islamist militias spanning Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen. The proxies give Iran strategic depth against its enemies.

In support of Hamas and Palestinians, Hezbollah and the Houthis have launched regular attacks on Israel over the past year. They have vowed to keep fighting until the war in Gaza ends.

Here’s what to know about the groups:

Hezbollah: The Lebanese group is believed to be the most heavily armed non-state group in the world. The Shiite group emerged out of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Israel occupied southern Lebanon for 18 years before it was driven out by Hezbollah. In 2006, Hezbollah and Israel fought a war for 34 days, which ended with no clear victor.

The Houthis: The Shiite group, bolstered by Iranian weapons and technology, has been fighting Saudi-backed forces for more than a decade in Yemen’s civil war. While the Houthis do not pose as much of a threat to Israel as Hamas and Hezbollah, they have wreaked havoc over the past year in the Red Sea, where they have launched strikes at commercial ships they deemed linked to Israel and its allies, threatening to choke global trade.

Hamas: The group emerged in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group from Egypt. Hamas considers Israel an occupying power and its goal is to liberate the Palestinian territories. Hamas receives funding, weapons and training from Iran.

The US has designated Hamas, the Houthis and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Correction: An earlier version of this post misstated the length of Israel’s occupation in southern Lebanon. It was 18 years. The description of the goals of Hamas has also been updated to more accurately convey their meaning.