Despite multiple attempts by Israel to quell the fighting in Gaza and decapitate Hamas’s leadership, the group continues a guerilla-style resistance. The IDF now fights on three active fronts: Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza. But it’s perhaps the forgotten war in Gaza that could resume major hostilities if left unchecked. Bill Roggio speaks with FDD Research Analyst Samuel Ben-Ur about next steps in Gaza.
On May 28, Israel conducted its first strike in weeks targeting Beirut. The Israelis have yet to confirm it, but reporting indicates that the intended target was Ali al Hussaini, a commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Forces’ Imam Hossein Division. This division, whose origins were in the Syrian Civil War, has been reinforcing Hezbollah throughout the conflict with Israel that began in October 2023.
Less than two weeks after Hamas named Mohammed Odeh as its new military commander, Israel eliminated him. The IDF also targeted a number of other high-profile Hamas members as the terrorist group continues refusing to disarm.
After the elimination of Al Qassam Brigades leader Izz al Din al Haddad on May 15, Hamas has reportedly turned to longtime senior member Mohammed Odeh to take the reins of the group’s military wing. As Hamas reportedly rearms and reconstitutes its strength, the IDF reports that its members and other Palestinian terrorists have continued to violate the ceasefire in Gaza.
The Israeli military attacked an apartment in Gaza City, targeting Izz al Din al Haddad, Hamas’s leader in Gaza. Al Haddad is one of the last remaining senior members of Hamas who were responsible for the October 7 attack.
Israel is expanding civilian security preparedness in communities near the Gaza border through a new training program led by Magen 48, a non-profit civilian-led initiative, in cooperation with the Israel Defense Forces. The program, created after the October 7 Hamas attack, trains local volunteer armed response teams in tactics, medical support, and community defense.
On May 6, Israel conducted its first strike in the greater Beirut metropolitan area since the onset of a ceasefire on April 16. The strike targeted an apartment building in Dahiyeh, and one of the alleged fatalities was Ahmad Ghaleb Ballout, whom Israel claimed was the newest leader of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force commando unit.
During the renewed conflict with Israel, Hezbollah has increasingly relied on an arsenal of first-person view (FPV) drones that it amassed and developed over the 15 months of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. These drones, which are guided by fiber-optic cables instead of radio, are proving effective against Israeli forces because they are hard to intercept and detect, and the IDF was unprepared to deal with this threat.
Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists continued to violate the Gaza ceasefire toward the end of April and beginning of May, according to Israeli military reports. Hamas remains adamant that it will not even begin to discuss disarmament before a complete IDF withdrawal from the territory.
The Iran-linked front group Ashab al Yamin claimed credit for a stabbing attack in London that wounded two Jewish men. The group has claimed more than a dozen attacks in Europe, most of them targeting Jewish institutions.
A Hamas operative who was killed during the recent war with Israel founded a Gaza-based charity that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars online. The charity continues to solicit donations, including through a New York-headquartered platform.
Kosovo has moved toward contributing forces for the International Stabilization Force (ISF) mission in Gaza, sending a military team to assess a future deployment area and coordinate with local and multinational officials. The security situation in Gaza remains tense despite a ceasefire, with uncertainty over Hamas’s disarmament.
Hamas has reportedly indicated a readiness to give up thousands of rifles belonging to its police and internal security forces. The weapons conceded would still fail to meet the total disarmament required by President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan. The Israel Defense Forces also tracked five ceasefire violations between April 17 and 21.
Iran has consistently sought to link its ceasefire with the United States to a concurrent cessation of hostilities in Lebanon. Tehran’s goal is to save Hezbollah, regardless of its stated aim of sparing Lebanon additional suffering. Iran, therefore, pressed the matter again as Hezbollah was on the cusp of losing the critical town of Bint Jbeil. A ceasefire in Lebanon went into effect on April 16.
US and Israeli operations inside Iran escalated over the past week. Actions included strikes on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile and air defense sites, eliminations of senior military and intelligence officials, the recovery of a US F-15E crew downed over Iran, and attacks on Iranian infrastructure, ranging from petrochemical facilities to major industrial plants.
While the US-Israeli war with Iran has taken center stage, Israel’s Gaza front remained active, despite the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10 of last year. The Israeli military has documented 22 ceasefire violations by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups since the war with Iran began on February 28.
While attention has shifted to the conflicts in Iran and Lebanon, Gaza remains under a fragile ceasefire, with ongoing low-level clashes. High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov highlighted progress toward a disarmament framework tied to UN-backed plans. Despite this, Hamas continues to consolidate control in parts of the territory as Israel targets militants and terrorist infrastructure.
The Israeli military announced on March 22 that it killed Walid Dib, a Hamas money man, in Lebanon. In addition to Dib, two other Hamas members operating in Lebanon have also been eliminated in Israeli strikes in recent days.
Israel executed more than 7,600 strikes on Iran by March 13, targeting nuclear-linked facilities, missile launchers, drone infrastructure, and military sites, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Israel continues conducting roughly 150–200 strikes per day as Iran continues launching ballistic missiles and drones toward Israel and the Gulf countries.
The Iran conflict has entered a new phase after US–Israeli strikes have destroyed key military infrastructure, killed thousands of regime personnel, and degraded Iran’s missile and drone launch rates. Israel has shifted toward hyperlocal targeting of repression units and regime figures inside Tehran, often aided by intelligence from Iranians on the ground. Simultaneously, the Tehran regime has publicly projected stability after Mojtaba Khamenei’s elevation to supreme leader, despite Khamenei’s continued absence from public view and some signs of internal strain.
The November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement in Lebanon has officially ended. Israel and Hezbollah are now reengaged in a full conflict after the group attacked Israeli territory on March 2. The Israelis have responded ferociously, targeting large swathes of Lebanon and promising that their campaign will continue until Hezbollah’s destruction.
The Israeli military killed Hamas commander Wasim Atallah Ali in Tripoli on March 5. The IDF said that Ali was responsible for training the group’s branch in Lebanon. His elimination adds to the growing number of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members who have been killed in Lebanon by the Israeli military.
On March 4 and 5, the United States and Israel continued attacks against elements of the Islamic Republic’s military assets, including its missile and naval threat capacity, as well as its repression apparatus. The countries also declared air superiority over Iran and signaled the beginning of a new phase of the operation.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem addressed Hezbollah’s latest war with Israel on Monday night, insisting that his group had fire rockets at Israel in defense of Lebanon, preempting a premeditated “war of extermination.” Qassem insisted that Hezbollah would not surrender its arms and vowed to continue fighting until achieving either victory in battle or martyrdom.
Israel has carried out more than 1,600 strike sorties against Iran in the first four days of the war, targeting Iranian leaders, nuclear facilities, missile launchers, and other military infrastructure, according to the IDF. Iran has responded with repeated ballistic missile and drone salvos that have killed at least 10 people in Israel and wounded dozens. The Israeli Air Force said that one of its F-35s downed an Iranian Yak-130 aircraft. The fighting has closed Israeli airports and forced widespread civilian alerts as missile barrages continue across the country.
Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has conducted a consistent military campaign against Palestinian terrorist groups in Lebanon. The Israeli military’s recent attack against a Hamas command center in the Palestinian camp of Ayin al Hilweh demonstrates that this approach continues to be Jerusalem’s preferred strategy against Palestinian armed groups that operate on Israel’s northern border.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between February 16 and February 22, 2026. Israeli activities last week were relatively more intense than in preceding weeks and included attacks on Hezbollah assets deep inside Lebanon, some of which the group reportedly intended to use against Israel in the event of a US conflict with Iran.
As US President Donald Trump convened the Gaza Board of Peace for its inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, the IDF continued to report numerous ceasefire violations in the territory. Israel also struck the Ain al Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near Sidon, Lebanon, stating that the target was used for the “preparation of terrorist activities against IDF forces in Lebanese territory.”
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between February 9 and February 15, 2026. Israeli activities last week were concentrated in south Lebanon and consisted largely of policing activity, maintaining the reduced intensity of previous weeks.
Israel continued military operations in Lebanon between February 2 and February 8, 2026. Israeli activities last week were concentrated in south Lebanon and significantly less intense and numerous than in preceding weeks.