Over 300 people were killed during a 10-minute attack on April 8, according to Lebanese authorities. It marked the deadliest day in the Israel-Lebanon conflict, which reignited following the initial U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
U.S. and Iranian officials failed to reach an agreement after a private 21-hour negotiation session in Islamabad over the weekend.
Amid the stalemate between the U.S. and Iran, Israeli and Lebanese representatives are expected to meet in Washington, D.C. this week.
In the meantime, the countries continue to trade strikes.
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon long predates Hezbollah. The two countries have technically remained in a state of war since 1948, when Lebanon joined neighboring Arab states in opposing the creation of Israel.
Instead, the countries have existed in a state of unresolved hostility for decades, marked by periodic clashes, cross-border tensions, and Israeli military operations inside Lebanon. The absence of diplomatic relations has also meant strict travel restrictions, with Lebanese citizens prohibited from traveling to Israel and Israelis barred from entering Lebanon.
What is Hezbollah?
Hezbollah, meaning “Party of God," is an Iran-backed Shi‘ite Muslim militant and political group based in Lebanon. It was founded by a number of Shi‘ite clerical groups during the Lebanese Civil War, in direct response to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
“Hezbollah was founded explicitly to resist that occupation, and was also founded explicitly to destroy Israel,” Urban Coningham, a research fellow and course lead at the Royal United Services Institute, tells TIME. “So naturally, since then, there's been almost continuous fighting between the groups.”
In the immediate years after, a number of smaller wars and missile exchanges between the two sides occurred, with Hezbollah maintaining a hold in Lebanon.
Israel’s offensive, which lasted just over a month, was largely seen as a success for Hezbollah, with the militant group holding off Israeli advances and ambushing troops in the south of the country.
Iranian funding has been crucial for Hezbollah’s development.
The outside support allowed Hezbollah to turn “into the most potent political military force inside Lebanon,” he says.
Hezbollah and Israel Defense Forces exchanged missile fire along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, with almost daily strikes from either side in the months that followed.
Israel carried out “pager attacks” across Lebanon and parts of Syria. On Sept. 17, 2024, through remotely targeting the pager devices of Hezbollah members, they killed 12 people, including two children, and injured thousands more, according to the Lebanese authorities.
Thousands of people in Lebanon were killed during the war, with around 900,000 people also displaced, according to the United Nations.
One of the conditions of the agreement was the disarmament of Hezbollah, something which ultimately failed, notes Dr. Sanam Vikal, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House.
“There was growing pressure from the Israeli government on Lebanon, but also via the United States, to be permitted to militarily reinforce an effort to demilitarize,” Vikal tells TIME. “That's what has set the precedent for this war. Israel was itching to go in and finish the job.”
On March 2, Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, joined the war and launched missiles at Israel, marking the first notable clash since the 2024 cease-fire agreement.
Just days into the war, medical emergency groups in Lebanon raised concerns about the impact that strikes were having on civilians, with Médecins Sans Frontières saying that evacuation orders in impacted areas left residents with “nowhere safe to go.”
Since the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week cease-fire on April 7, the fragile truce has been threatened by Israel’s continued strikes on Lebanon.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, meanwhile, has reportedly vowed to continue fighting Israel “until the last breath,” according to a statement read out on the militant group’s Al Manar TV on April 10.
A view of the damaged buildings in Nabatieh, Lebanon, on April 10, 2026. —Ahmad Kaddoura—Getty ImagesWhen did Israel launch its ground assault on Lebanon?
“This activity is part of broader defensive efforts to establish and strengthen a forward defensive posture,” said the IDF at the time, citing the intent was to “remove threats and create an additional layer of security for residents of northern Israel.”
“Where there is terror and missiles, there are no homes and no residents, and the IDF will control the security zone up to the Litani [River],” he said.
Since the Israel-Hamas war, the IDF has strengthened its intelligence in Lebanon, and trained troops to fight within Hezbollah territory, says Coningham, giving them an added advantage now.
“Hezbollah has historically been very strong in southern Lebanon, so it seems like a sort of rehash of the tactics which the IDF used in parts of Gaza, where they essentially reduced areas of land, villages, cities, to rubble,” says Coningham.
“Hezbollah has argued that Israel is moving to a more permanent occupation in southern Israel,” he tells TIME.
“What has changed now is the conflict with Iran and, with the U.S. involved so heavily, it means the Israelis have a much freer hand in Lebanon, because Iran's unable to respond,” says Coningham. “Essentially, there's a much lower risk for Israeli forces operating in Lebanon, and also a much lower risk of Iran retaliating."
There are conflicting accounts between Iranian and U.S. officials regarding whether or not it was intended for Lebanon to be included in the temporary cease-fire.
Israeli and U.S. officials have strongly refuted this.
Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Qabilaf has stressed that Lebanon and other Iranian proxy allies, known as the Axis of Resistance, are “an inseparable part of the cease-fire,” arguing that Sharif “publicly and clearly stressed the Lebanon issue.”
European leaders released a joint statement calling upon “all sides to implement the cease-fire, including in Lebanon.”
The chief of foreign affairs for the European Union, Kaja Kallas, also called on Israel to de-escalate.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has said that France “firmly condemns” the strikes.
“I spoke with Bibi and he’s going to low-key it. I just think we have to be sort of a little more low-key,” he told NBC News.
“If strikes continue on Lebanon, then Iran might get involved [against Israel], and then the cease-fire is over,” says Coningham, noting the fragility of the agreement. “That's one of the last cards [Hezbollah] have to play.”
Death toll in Lebanon and mounting concerns over displaced civilians
TIME has been unable to independently verify these figures.
According to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the “escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israeli airstrikes, and evacuation orders” have displaced 1.3 million across Lebanon.
The World Food Programme also warned that Lebanon is facing a food insecurity crisis.
“There's immense poverty in the country,” adds Coningham. “Lots of people don't have constant access to electricity, to clean drinking water, to food. So with a crisis like this, there's a danger that it tips many communities over the edge, and then they have little choice but to become refugees.”
Hence then, the article about israel s war against lebanon explained was published today ( ) and is available on Time ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Israel's War Against Lebanon, Explained )
Also on site :