Israel launched airstrikes of unprecedented magnitude against Lebanon in September 2024, claiming to target Hezbollah sites, and the Islamist movement is responding. What areas are affected by the strikes? The map.
While Israel has continued its military operations in the Gaza Strip since the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the Hebrew state is also engaged on another front: its border with Lebanon. The two countries have been exchanging military strikes for several months, but the conflict entered another phase in September 2024. Israel launched Operation Northern Arrow on Monday, September 23, sending several airstrikes into Lebanon, more specifically against Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian Islamist movement, like Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli fire launched since September 23 has left more than 500 dead, including 50 children, according to the report specified by the Lebanese Minister of Health. The confrontation is therefore already more deadly than the last Israeli-Lebanese war dating back to 2006. The Hebrew State intends to continue its strikes which it says are concentrated on Hezbollah’s strategic and military sites. “More than 1,600 targets” of the Islamist movement have been hit according to the Israeli authorities. For its part, Hezbollah is not remaining without a response and is organizing retaliatory responses, including the sending of more than a hundred rocket attacks into the north of the Hebrew State.
Tea Washington Institute for Near East Policy has listed the various Israeli attacks in Lebanon and the Lebanese strikes against the Hebrew state in a map regularly updated since the beginning of the conflict. The blue dots indicating the strikes of the Israeli army are concentrated mainly in a large part of southern Lebanon, from the border with Israel to the limit between the governorate of South Lebanon and that of Mount Lebanon. Other strikes target areas further north and on the eastern half of the country. The capital Beirut is also targeted by strikes.
Hezbollah is essentially targeting a large strip in northern Israel. This territory corresponds to the area evacuated by Israeli civilians after the first strikes were launched. The Israeli Prime Minister has also justified part of his attacks by the desire to bring Israeli civilians back to this area of the country. However, it seems obvious that the strikes were also motivated by the desire to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure. It should be noted that a significant portion of the Israeli strikes were launched between September 23 and 25, as shown in this AFP map produced using data from analysts at Beck International Ltd.
Areas of Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah
Israel is therefore targeting the south and east of Lebanon, in addition to the capital Beirut, and justifies itself by ensuring that it is only targeting areas of the country under Hezbollah control. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also assures that he has called on Lebanese residents of these regions, particularly the south, to evacuate the areas.
According to this map made by the Stratfor Geopolitical Analysis Centerthe parts of Lebanon controlled by Hezbollah are effectively located over a large southern part of the country up to the border with the governorate of Mount Lebanon and over a substantial eastern half of the country extending from the Bekaa plain to the northern border.
An area south of the capital Beirut is also said to be partly under Hezbollah control. A report by Congressional research service published on September 20, 2024 confirms that Hezbollah “controls access to parts of Lebanon and operates inside the country with relative impunity.”