Author Archives: Seth Frantzman

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel's Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).
IDF troops in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah anti-tank and rocket fire strike northern Israel; Halevi visits Lebanon front

IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi visited Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon on October 10. He reviewed how the IDF is operating against Hezbollah in Lebanese villages near the border from where Hezbollah has threatened Israel with rockets over the past year. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on October 11 that two of its peacekeepers were wounded in Lebanon. Hezbollah fired 190 projectiles into Israel on October 10.


IDF targets Hezbollah command and control centers

The IDF focused air strikes on Hezbollah command centers in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military estimated that it eliminated fifty Hezbollah terrorists, including six “senior commanders from Hezbollah’s southern front and the Radwan forces,” the IDF said on October 8. Hezbollah launched 220 rockets into Israel on October 9. Two Israelis were killed by Hezbollah rocket fire in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US President Joe Biden about possible Israeli retaliation for Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel.


Hezbollah fighting position

IDF locates Hezbollah tunnel and weapons as Lebanon operation expands

Hezbollah targeted Israel’s northern city of Haifa with rocket fire on October 8 after launching 190 rockets at Israel on October 7. The IDF continued to carry out operations in southern Lebanon. Israel’s Golani Brigade uncovered Hezbollah weapons in Maroun al-Ras. The IDF also dismantled a tunnel that stretched into Israel. Four IDF divisions are now operating in Lebanon.


Nova Music Festival massacre anniversary commemoration

Israel faces attacks on multiple fronts on the anniversary of the October 7 attack

Israel commemorated the anniversary of the October 7 massacre as Hamas fired more than 135 rockets at southern and central Israel, Iraqi militias targeted Israel with drones, and the Houthis launched a long-range missile at central Israel. The IDF’s top general met with the head of US Central Command on October 6. A third IDF division began operations in Lebanon as the Israeli Air Force hit 120 Hezbollah targets.


IDF tank

IDF returns to northern Gaza’s Jabaliya neighborhood

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new operation in northern Gaza directed at Hamas terrorists in Jabliya, an area the IDF has cleared three times during the war. The new operation, launched as Israel prepares for the anniversary of the October 7 attack, began after the Israeli military detected evidence that Hamas was seeking to rebuild its forces there.


IDF Etzioni Brigade in southern Lebanon

IDF suffers first casualties in Lebanon as 2nd Division begins ops

The Israeli military suffered its first casualties in southern Lebanon battles with Hezbollah on October 2. Eight soldiers were killed in one incident and a ninth in a second clash, according to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reports from October 2 and October 3. The IDF struck approximately 200 Hezbollah targets and estimated it eliminated 60 of the group’s members. During the same two days, Hezbollah launched 360 projectiles at Israel. In addition, the IDF downed several drone threats off the coast. Two Israeli divisions, the 98th and the 36th, are now operating in southern Lebanon.


IDF raid into Lebanon

IDF begins Lebanon ground operation, Iran launches 180 ballistic missiles at Israel

The Israel Defense (IDF) Forces began a ground operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah, led by the IDF’s 98th Division. The IDF described the offensive as “localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.” Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, while Hezbollah fired rocket barrages at northern and central Israel.



Yoav Gallant

Israel strikes targets on multiple fronts

The IDF carried out airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Hudaydah using dozens of aircraft. An Israeli missile ship intercepted a UAV launched at Israel, and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq took credit for the attack. Israeli forces in Gaza uncovered a tunnel. Hezbollah carried out numerous rocket attacks on Israel on September 29, and the IDF continued strikes on the terrorist group. The IDF confirmed that more than 20 Hezbollah members were eliminated in the September 27 strike which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.


IDF Major General Gordin

Israel’s Northern Command prepares for possible ground operation

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called up two reserve brigades as Operation Northern Arrows entered its third day. The Israeli Air Force continued to conduct strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. In addition, Major General Ori Gordin, head of the IDF’s Northern Command, spoke to Israel’s 7th Armored Brigade and urged them to be ready for possible ground operations in the north. Hezbollah launched a ballistic missile toward Tel Aviv and struck Safed and other areas in northern Israel.


Smoke in southern Lebanon after IDF strikes

Israel strikes more than 1,300 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

The Israeli Air Force struck 1,300 Hezbollah targets with 1,400 munitions on September 23. The strikes were the largest since Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel in October 2023. Hezbollah launched long-range rockets at Israel, targeting Haifa and areas close to central Israel for the first time in 11 months. Israel’s Defense Minister said “tens of thousands of rockets have been destroyed” in the IDF strikes on Hezbollah, decreasing the Iranian-backed terrorist group’s arsenal.



Gallant meeting

Israel prepared for Hezbollah response after Beirut strike

On September 19, the IDF asked residents of several northern towns and the city of Safed to adhere to special restrictions due to possible escalation with Hezbollah in Lebanon. On September 20, the IDF lifted the restrictions, even as Israel carried out an airstrike in Beirut that eliminated a Hezbollah leader and key Hezbollah commanders. The IDF Chief of Staff met with the head of the IDF’s Northern Command and IDF Division commanders, while Israel’s Minister of Defense also held key meetings about Israel’s new initiatives against Hezbollah.


IDF soldiers training

IDF prepares for possible Hezbollah escalation after pager op in Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) head of Northern Command said the IDF is at “peak readiness” amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah. After thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded on September 17, more devices exploded on September 18. IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi visited Israel’s Northern Command, and the IDF deployed its elite 98th Division to the north amid tensions.


IDF infantry brigade Gaza

IDF rotates reserve infantry brigade to Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed the 5th Brigade to central Gaza’s Netzarim Corridor, according to an IDF statement on September 16. The reserve infantry brigade recently completed training in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, in which it prepared for ground operations on the kind of terrain it will face in central Gaza. Deploying reserve units has become routine as the IDF rotates forces into central Gaza.


Hochstein meets with Gallant

Israel inches closer to decision on northern operation against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant met with Amos Hochstein, a senior advisor to President Joe Biden. Both indicated that Israel was nearing a decision to act with more military force against Hezbollah after 11 months of attacks that have forced 60,000 Israelis to evacuate from their homes. Hezbollah continued to carry out attacks on September 16, targeting numerous areas in northern Israel.


Fire northern Israel

IDF’s multi-front challenge: From Rafah to Lebanon

The IDF said it had dismantled the Rafah Brigade of Hamas on September 12, and over four months of fighting, an estimated 2,000 terrorists were killed in Rafah and its environs. Thirteen kilometers of Hamas tunnels, divided into a total of 203 tunnels, were found and destroyed by the IDF. Hezbollah increased its attacks on Israel on September 12 and September 13. Barrages of rockets targeted Safed and Israeli communities near the Mediterranean coastline, sparking fires.


IDF drone footage

IDF targets Hezbollah’s Radwan Force commander

Hezbollah launched dozens of rockets at Israel in several barrages on September 10 and 11. The IDF responded with strikes on numerous locations in southern Lebanon, targeting terrorist infrastructure and killing two Hezbollah members, including a commander in the group’s Radwan force. An IDF reservist was wounded by an anti-tank missile.


IDF troops in Gaza

IDF focuses on eliminating Hamas commanders

The IDF carried out an airstrike on three Hamas commanders who had set up a command-and-control center in the humanitarian zone in Gaza, the IDF said on September 10. In addition, the IDF targeted a Hamas battalion commander and three of his company commanders in southern Gaza. The strikes illustrate a wider campaign by the IDF to target Hamas’ remaining command-and-control centers.


IDF tank

Rockets fired at Ashkelon from Gaza as IDF continues Gaza operations

Two rockets were fired at the Israeli city of Ashkelon from Gaza. The IDF operated in the Zeitoun neighborhood near Gaza City to eliminate terrorist threats. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Netzarim Corridor on September 8 and vowed the IDF would eliminate Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. In southern Gaza, the IDF continued to clash with Hamas terrorists in Rafah and carried out airstrikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets.


IDF soldiers forest

Hezbollah continues attacks as IDF brigade drills for conflict in the north

An Israeli reserve brigade completed an exercise to prepare for conflict in the north. Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets at Israel on September 8, and the group claimed to be responding to an IDF strike on a village in southern Lebanon. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited northern Israel and met with the commander of an IDF division in the Golan on September 6.


IDF soldier firing missile

IDF division eliminates 200 terrorists in the Rafah area

The Israel Defense Forces’ 162nd Division eliminated 200 terrorists in battles near Rafah and the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza during the last week of August. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep control of the key area to prevent Hamas from re-arming.


Burned area northern Israel

Hezbollah escalates attacks with over 100 rockets fired in a day

Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets targeting Israel on September 4, the largest barrage in almost two weeks. The group has continued its daily attacks against northern Israel amid reports that the Israeli government is in talks with the US about seeking to reduce tensions. In addition, the Italian chief of the defense staff, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, visited Israel on September 4 for meetings with IDF counterparts.


Israeli tank Philadelphi Corridor

IDF officers take on new roles as Gaza in political focus

The IDF’s Gaza Division, which faced the brunt of Hamas’s attack on October 7 and will play a key role in the future security of the border, received a new commander on September 2. The IDF’s head of Ground Forces resigned on September 3. The leadership changes come as Israel intends to maintain control over the Philadelphi Corridor.


Gallant meets Halevi

Top Israeli officials focus on northern front, returning Israelis to communities

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a strategic discussion with IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi on August 29 and discussed the need to return Israeli citizens to their homes in northern Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to northern Israel on August 28 and said the nation must restore security and return residents to their homes. “This is a national goal of the highest order,” Netanyahu said.


Halevi visit to Jordan Valley

IDF chief of staff visits Jordan Valley amid West Bank terror threats

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Jordan Valley on August 27, where he met with officers of the Jordan Valley Brigade and spoke with the heads of local communities. His visit comes after several recent terror attacks in the valley and as threats have increased in the northern West Bank.


IDF rescued hostage

IDF rescues a hostage in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces rescued Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a hostage held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7, from a tunnel in southern Gaza. Alkadi was flown by helicopter to an Israeli hospital in Beersheba, where he met members of his family and spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.


IDF troops Deir al-Balah

IDF pushes into central Gaza as terror threats shift

The IDF expanded operations in the outskirts of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and said Israeli forces eliminated dozens of terrorists and found weapons and a tunnel. Hamas launched a rocket at central Israel on August 25, and Israel hit the launch site with an airstrike.


Israeli fighter jet

IDF confronts major Hezbollah barrage using preemptive airstrikes

Hezbollah launched a large barrage of rocket attacks on Israel in the early hours of August 25, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acted preemptively to thwart the attack. “Approximately ninety percent of the targets struck were short-range rockets aimed at northern Israel,” the IDF said. Around 100 Israeli warplanes struck 270 targets. Hezbollah claimed it launched more than 300 rockets at Israel.


IDF soldiers central Gaza

Israeli defense minister announces the defeat of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade

On August 21, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza and met with commanders of the 162nd Division, which has been fighting Hamas in Rafah since May. Gallant said the Hamas Rafah Brigade has been defeated. The IDF continued to expand operations in Khan Younis and central Gaza, and one Israeli soldier was killed, the IDF said on August 23.