Middle East & Africa | War in the Middle East

Tracking Israel’s war in Lebanon, in maps

The latest data on Israel’s invasion, including on casualties, strikes and displaced people

Image: DPA
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For a year Israel has been fighting a defensive war with Hizbullah, a Shia militia in Lebanon, on its northern border. On September 30th Israeli troops crossed the border, conducting what an Israeli officer described as small-scale “raids” which aimed to destroy missile-launchers and other military infrastructure of Hizbullah. Small Israeli incursions into Lebanon have a way of becoming full-blown invasions quickly.

LEBANON

Mediterranean Sea

Litani

Awali

SYRIA

Golan

Heights

Reported attacks, Oct 8th 2024

ISRAEL

Since Sep 21st

By Israel

By Hizbullah

Towns ordered to evacuate by Israel

Source: Institute for the Study of War; OpenSteetMap

LEBANON

Mediterranean

Sea

Awali

Litani

SYRIA

Golan

Heights

ISRAEL

Reported attacks, Oct 8th 2024

Since Sep 21st

By Israel

By Hizbullah

Towns ordered to evacuate by Israel

Source: Institute for the Study of War; OpenSteetMap

On October 1st Iran, in retaliation, launched more than 180 missiles at Israel. Almost all were intercepted. United Nations Resolution 1701, established in 2006 after a previous war that lasted 34 days, mandated a withdrawal of Hizbullah forces to north of the Litani River (see map). But it has never been enforced effectively. Israel’s official aim this time is to allow the return of over 60,000 of its citizens who were forced to leave their homes when Hizbullah began shelling northern Israel on October 8th 2023. To track the conflict, we are mapping daily strikes and incursions, and collecting data on casualties and displaced people. This page will be regularly updated; check back to see the latest in a war whose escalation threatens to further destabilise a volatile region.

Read more coverage of Israel, Hizbullah and Lebanon:

Attacks

After October 7th 2023, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel from Gaza and Israeli forces responded by invading the strip, Hizbullah (which, like Hamas, is a proxy of Iran) fired missiles and launched explosive drones towards the towns and bases in Israel’s north. On September 17th the conflict intensified, when thousands of pagers used by members of Hizbullah blew up, killing dozens, wounding thousands and wreaking havoc on the militia’s communication networks. Hizbullah blamed Israel, and responded with rocket attacks deeper into the country; in turn Israel struck further into Lebanon. And on September 27th it carried out an enormous strike on Hizbullah’s headquarters in Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, as well as hundreds of other people. Strikes have forced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese to leave their homes. Since Israeli troops crossed the border on September 30th, Israel has continued to carry out air strikes, including on Beirut and the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. Lebanese authorities insist civilians are using the crossing, but Israel said it was being used to smuggle weapons.
Israeli strikes near the border, and damaged buildings in Beirut
Video: AP; Getty
The number of Israeli strikes in Lebanon increased sharply in September; since the 22nd there have been at least 100 a day (see chart below). Hizbullah has been increasing the frequency and severity of its strikes too, though most have been short-range rockets directed at towns in northern Israel. The relative lack of long-range missiles may be explained by the fact that Israel has destroyed hundreds of Hizbullah’s missile-launch sites and caches.

Daily reported attacks

To NaNth

  • By Hizbullah

  • By Israel

Source:
  • ACLED

Casualties and displacement

The escalation in the fighting has taken a heavy human toll. The number of people killed in Lebanon during the conflict has risen to over 1,500 people. Hizbullah has killed dozens of people in Israel with its attacks. The number of people displaced from their homes in Lebanon, meanwhile, passed 600,000 on October 6th. In recent days Israel has told people to evacuate in more than 20 villages, some over 20km from the border.

Internally displaced people

To NaNth 2024, Lebanon

Cumulative deaths reported

To NaNth 2024, Lebanon

Sources:
  • Lebanese Ministry of Public Health
  • IOM
  • UNOCHA

Iran’s involvement

The conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza threaten to spiral into a regional war. Iran’s firing of around 180 missiles at Israel on October 1st did relatively little damage owing to Israel’s missile-defence systems and American military assistance. Just one person died, in the West Bank, from falling shrapnel.
But many people within Israel’s political and security establishment now believe this is a moment to transform the strategic picture in the region. Following the attack Mr Netanyahu promised to retaliate, saying “Whoever attacks us, we will attack them.” America’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Iran would face “severe consequences”. The risks of any follow-up attack are high. Iran’s arsenal is far more powerful than that of its proxies: it has more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, though not all of them have the range to reach Israel (see map).■

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