IDF Strikes Hezbollah and Hamas as Israeli Forces Operate Across Multiple Fronts

Israeli forces carried out strikes and counterterrorism operations across Lebanon, Gaza and Judea and Samaria over the past 48 hours, hitting Hezbollah infrastructure, eliminating a senior Hamas commander and apprehending a 10 member Hamas cell that Israel says was preparing attacks against civilians.

The heaviest Israeli air activity was in Lebanon, where repeated Hezbollah drone attacks against IDF troops triggered two rounds of strikes against the group's military infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces operated against Hamas on two separate fronts: a senior Hamas military commander was eliminated in Gaza, while a Hamas cell was apprehended in Judea and Samaria.

Hezbollah drone attack triggers strikes across southern Lebanon

On Sunday, the IDF launched a wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon following an attempted drone attack against Israeli soldiers.

According to the IDF, Hezbollah launched two explosive drones toward troops operating around the Ali al Taher Ridge. Israeli soldiers shot down one of the drones, and no Israeli casualties were reported.

Israel subsequently struck Hezbollah terrorists, weapons storage facilities and other military infrastructure.

One of the targets was particularly notable.

The IDF said Hezbollah had established a command center inside a building that had previously operated as a hospital. According to the military, Hezbollah terrorists had recently used the facility for artillery and observation activity.

Israel said precision weapons and aerial surveillance were used during the strikes to reduce the risk to civilians.

Before another strike in Arab Salim, the IDF issued an evacuation warning instructing people near a building identified as Hezbollah infrastructure to move at least 300 meters away.

Lebanese authorities reported four people killed in Sunday's Israeli strikes. Those casualty figures come from Lebanese officials and have not been confirmed by the IDF.

Second Israeli strike wave in two days

Sunday's operation followed another round of Israeli strikes overnight Friday into Saturday.

The IDF said it struck Hezbollah terrorists and weapons storage facilities in southern Lebanon that were intended to support attacks against Israeli troops and civilians.

Those strikes also followed a Hezbollah drone attack against Israeli soldiers.

The IDF said the strikes were intended both to respond to the attempted attack and to remove an immediate threat.

The result was a clear cycle over the weekend: Hezbollah attempted drone attacks against Israeli positions, and the IDF responded by striking considerably larger Hezbollah infrastructure farther inside Lebanon.

The battle for Ali al Taher

The location of the Hezbollah drone attacks is important.

The Ali al Taher Ridge has become one of the focal points of the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli forces recently completed a lengthy operation against Hezbollah's underground network there.

According to the IDF, troops discovered command centers, weapons storage rooms, generators and living facilities inside underground routes constructed over approximately two decades with Iranian assistance.

Israeli forces say Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated or forced from the underground infrastructure and that the IDF established operational control of the ridge above and below ground.

The operation began before the 48 hour period covered here, but the IDF announced over the weekend that the clearing and neutralization work had been completed.

Hezbollah's subsequent attempts to attack Israeli troops around the same ridge put the weekend's strikes into a broader context: the organization is continuing to challenge Israeli forces around a position that Israel says it has now taken from Hezbollah.

Senior Hamas commander eliminated in Gaza

Israeli operations also continued in Gaza.

On Sunday, Israel confirmed the elimination of a senior Hamas military wing commander who had also served as a bodyguard to former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The commander was part of Hamas's military apparatus and his elimination came as Israel continues targeting figures involved in rebuilding the organization's military capabilities and preparing attacks.

His killing is particularly significant because Israel remains on heightened alert for a Hamas response to a series of recent operations against the organization.

Those operations have included targeted strikes against Hamas commanders and the recent capture of a senior Hamas internal security official inside Gaza.

The IDF has been preparing for the possibility of Hamas attempting attacks against Israeli positions or renewing rocket fire.

10 member Hamas cell apprehended in Judea and Samaria

At the same time, the IDF and Shin Bet announced another significant operation against Hamas on Sunday, this time in Judea and Samaria.

Israeli forces apprehended a cell consisting of 10 Hamas terrorists who, according to the IDF, had been working to advance attacks against Israeli civilians.

During the operation, forces discovered a rocket without a launcher and dismantled it.

The interrogation of one of the captured cell members then led Israeli forces to another discovery.

According to the IDF, the suspect revealed the location of a weapons cache containing an M16 rifle and a large quantity of explosives intended for manufacturing explosive devices.

The weapons and explosives were subsequently dismantled at the scene.

The operation demonstrates that Hamas's efforts to develop attack capabilities are not confined to Gaza.

Three fronts, different threats

The past 48 hours show the different forms Israel's current security campaign is taking.

In Lebanon, the confrontation is increasingly centered on Hezbollah's attempts to attack Israeli troops and Israel's effort to systematically dismantle the organization's military infrastructure.

In Gaza, Israel continues targeting senior Hamas military figures while preparing for possible retaliation.

And in Judea and Samaria, the emphasis is on disrupting cells before attacks can be carried out and locating the weapons and explosives intended to make those attacks possible.

There were no verified IDF strikes in Syria, Iran or Yemen during the period reviewed.

For the past 48 hours, Lebanon was the most active front. But the simultaneous operations against Hamas in Gaza and Judea and Samaria show why Israel's current military challenge cannot be understood by looking at any single battlefield alone.