The Israeli army continues to pound locations across Lebanon, including heavy strikes in the Beirut area.
Israel has also carried out air strikes on the Lebanese port city of Tyre. They come after evacuation orders were expanded, with the Israeli military telling residents to move north of the Awali river.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health said Israel has killed at least 2,574 people and wounded more than 12,000.
In addition, Lebanese authorities say, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.
More than a year of cross-border attacks
The exchange of attacks between Israel and Hezbollah has been continuing since October 8, 2023, when Hezbollah first launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip as Israel waged war on the enclave.
Israel has launched more than four times as many attacks on Lebanon as Hezbollah has on Israel, tallying at least 11,238 attacks.
Hezbollah, which was formed in 1982 to fight Israel’s invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon, says it will stop attacking Israel if its assault on Gaza stops.
Regarded as the most battle-hardened nongovernmental fighting group in the region, Hezbollah fought a 34-day war against Israel in 2006 that was widely seen as a strategic and military failure for Israel.
Some Israeli leaders have pledged to remove Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, even by force.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), at least 13,608 attacks were exchanged between Israel and Hezbollah and other armed groups in Lebanon from October 7, 2023 to October 18, 2024.
About 83 percent of these attacks – 11,238 – were carried out by Israel, which killed at least 2,318 people in Lebanon.
Hezbollah and other armed groups were responsible for 2,370 attacks that killed at least 41 Israelis.
In addition to Hezbollah – which mostly bore the brunt of the hostilities – other parties involved in attacks against Israel include Lebanese al-Fajr Forces and the Amal Movement as well as Hamas’s Qassam Brigades and Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades, both armed wings of Palestinian groups with a presence in Lebanon.
In less than one month, from September 20 to October 18, there have been more than 3,300 attacks between Israel and Lebanon. This accounts for almost a quarter of all attacks since October 8, 2023.
Israel has attacked these locations in southern Lebanon the most:
- Aita al-Shaab – 444 attacks
- Kfar Kila – 342 attacks
- Naqoura – 341 attacks
- Hula – 311 attacks
- Khiam – 285 attacks
Groups from Lebanon attacked these locations in northern Israel the most:
- Kiryat Shmona – 199 attacks
- Metula – 122 attacks
- Margaliyot – 106 attacks
- Al-Manara – 98 attacks
- Shtula – 85 attacks
Destruction of Lebanese towns
Israeli attacks have severely damaged several villages in south Lebanon and neighbourhoods in Beirut.
The Lebanese village of Yaroun – roughly 1km (0.6 miles) from the Blue Line, the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon – has been devastated by Israeli attacks.
Satellite imagery obtained by Al Jazeera’s verification unit Sanad shows levelled homes and cratered ground following Israel’s ground invasion into Lebanon which began on October 1.
Further east, scenes of destruction are also evident in Maroun al-Ras.
Videos posted online showed soldiers hoisting an Israeli flag on the ruins of Iran Garden Park in Maroun al-Ras.
Israel’s arsenal
Israel holds the most advanced missiles in the Middle East.
It makes many of them itself, but gets most of its precision-guided missiles from the United States.
Much of Israel’s capabilities are short-range tactical systems, including the Popeye, Extra and Gabriel missiles. Among its long-range missiles are Jericho 2 and Jericho 3 ballistic missiles with ranges of 1,500-3,500km (930-2,175 miles) and 4,800-6,500km (3,000-4,000 miles), respectively, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Also, despite not officially acknowledging it, Israel is believed to possess at least 90 nuclear weapons.
To confront incoming rockets and missiles, Israel uses three integrated air defence systems: the Iron Dome (short-range), David’s Sling (medium-range) and Arrow (long-range).
The Iron Dome was originally billed as providing city-sized coverage against rockets with ranges of 4-70km (2.5-43 miles), but experts say it has been expanded.
David’s Sling, produced by Israeli weapons giant Rafael, can intercept rockets and missiles with a range of 40-300km (25-186 miles). The Arrow series, led by the Arrow 3 interceptor, has an estimated fly-out range of up to 2,400km (1,491 miles).
Hezbollah’s arsenal
Hezbollah is considered to be one of the world’s most heavily armed non-state actors, with an estimated rocket arsenal of 130,000, according to CSIS.
On October 19, 2023, Israel’s Institute for National Security Research estimated that Hezbollah had 40,000 Grad-type missiles with a short range of 15-20km (9-12 miles).
A step up are 80,000 longer-range missiles, including the Fajr 3 and Fajr 5 ballistic missiles, with a range of 100km (62 miles).
Finally, there are about 30,000 Zelzal or Fateh-110 missiles with a range of 200-300km (124-186 miles) – the longest-range weapons in Hezbollah’s inventory, capable of reaching southern Israel.
