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The Israeli military on March 12 struck two Syrian army sites where Hezbollah was operating, according to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The strike was carried out based on “precise intelligence,” the IDF said, noting that it “holds the Syrian regime accountable for all activities which take place within its territory and will not allow for any attempted actions which could lead to the entrenchment of Hezbollah on the Syrian front.” Hezbollah has launched thousands of rockets at Israel since it chose to support the Hamas attack on October 7, and has escalated attacks in March.
Expert Analysis
“Hezbollah’s threats to Israel continue to grow. Hezbollah has sought to entrench in Syria and increase its presence under the umbrella of protection provided by the Syrian regime. The Iranian-backed terrorist group is seeking to increase the number of fronts it can use to threaten Israel and destabilize the region. Israel’s operations to deter Hezbollah and remove its threats in Syria and Lebanon must be supported.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow
“Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah appears quite comfortable with a status quo where incrementally escalating limited warfare becomes a new normal. If Israel appears unwilling or unable to use military force to change that status quo, even the most meager of diplomatic efforts become less and less likely to succeed.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor
“At the behest of the Assad regime, Iran is using its network of proxies and clients to attack Israel from different countries, including Syria. These actions are part of Iran’s strategy of employing the ‘Resistance Axis’ to threaten the Jewish state on multiple fronts.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal
Israel Launched 4,500 Strikes Against Hezbollah Since October 7
Since the Gaza war began, Israel has attacked Hezbollah as many as 4,500 times in Lebanon and Syria, the IDF announced on March 12. The IDF claims to have killed more than 300 Hezbollah terrorists and injured over 750 others while targeting Hezbollah’s military assets. Further, the strikes have eliminated about 90 percent of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force positioned in southern Lebanon. Israel has also destroyed more than 150 intelligence and observation posts, 70 manned military command and control centers, and 50 rocket platforms across Lebanon.
