Israel continued operations in Lebanon between April 28 and May 11, 2025. These activities included targeted killings and the destruction of a Hezbollah PGM storage facility in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
On May 12, Hamas released Edan Alexander, one of 59 hostages still held in Gaza and the last living American hostage. The release came as US President Donald Trump headed to the Middle East for meetings in Saudi Arabia, the IDF is gearing up for an expanded offensive in Gaza, and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced a new US-led humanitarian aid initiative for the territory.
On May 5, the Israeli military launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, including the Hudaydah port and a cement factory used for military infrastructure, in response to a ballistic missile attack that injured six people near Ben Gurion Airport. The strikes come amid escalating Houthi attacks on Israeli territory and maritime vessels, as well as ongoing US-led operations targeting Houthi military assets across Yemen.
Israel conducted several airstrikes in Syria between April 30 and May 3 after sectarian clashes erupted in the country. “The IDF has carried out a warning operation and struck elements of an extremist group that was preparing to continue attacks on the Druze population,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said on April 30. The IDF followed up with more strikes in Syria aimed at warning Damascus against harming members of the Druze minority, while others targeted military sites.
The Israeli military has struck more than 1,800 targets since renewing operations in Gaza on March 18, 2025. “We are continuing with the operational pressure and tightening the ring around Hamas as needed, and if we see no progress in the return of the hostages, we will expand our activities,” Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said on April 24.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between April 21 and April 27, 2025. These activities included targeted killings and the destruction of a Hezbollah precision-guided munitions storage facility in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Israel’s efforts against Hamas have included severing the Islamist organization’s funding lifelines in addition to sustained military pressure. A recent report indicates that Hezbollah is showing financial strain.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between April 14 and April 20, 2025. This week witnessed an uptick in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah, including several assassinations of the group’s operatives and commanders.
One IDF soldier was killed and three soldiers wounded in northern Gaza, the IDF said on April 19. Israeli forces in northern and southern Gaza continue to dismantle terrorist infrastructure, and Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a hostage deal and demanded an end to the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would not “surrender” to Hamas as part of a new hostage deal.
Israel killed Hezbollah Unit 4400’s new deputy commander, Hussain Ali Nasr. The Israel Defense Forces alleged that Iran and Unit 4400 continue to oversee weapons smuggling to Hezbollah, including through Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between April 7 and April 13, 2025, repeating a lower-intensity pattern from the previous week. The Israel Defense Forces targeted 10 areas and killed one mid-level Hezbollah commander and one Hezbollah operative.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued establishing operational control of southern Gaza, sending more forces, including infantry and armor, into the territory during the first week and a half of April. The IDF announced that it eliminated the commander of Hamas’s Sheijaiya Battalion on April 10. Israeli media reported that only 25 percent of Hamas tunnels have been destroyed, and the group’s battalions continue to operate in Khan Younis and Rafah.
Amid mounting proxy losses and a major US military buildup across the Middle East, Iran has placed its armed forces on high alert and warned neighboring states against facilitating a potential American strike. Tehran is suffering setbacks in Iraq and Yemen while ramping up deterrence through inflammatory propaganda.
Israel assassinated senior Hamas official Hassan Ahmad Farhat in Sidon on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces said Farhat was responsible for attacks on Israel during the recent war, including the February 14, 2024, strike on Tzfat and continued planning attacks against Israel in recent months. Farhat’s son Hamzah, also a Hamas operative, and his daughter, Jinan, were killed alongside him.
Israel continued operations in Lebanon between March 31 and April 6, 2025, though there was a noticeable drop in number and intensity. However, Israel conducted two targeted killings in Lebanon: one in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood killed a Hezbollah commander and operative, and another in Sidon killed a Hamas commander and operative.
Turkish plans to establish a presence and air defenses on Syrian soil would hinder Israel’s operational freedom, a situation Israel is unlikely to accept in the post-October 7 Middle East.
On April 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was shifting gears in Gaza and taking over more areas. “We are also doing something else: We are seizing the Morag Corridor. This will be […] an additional Philadelphi Corridor,” Netanyahu said. The Morag Corridor separates Khan Younis from Rafah in southern Gaza. The IDF also called on Gazans to evacuate Rafah in south Gaza and Shejaiya in northern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces conducted an airstrike in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, the second in two weeks and since the November 27 ceasefire, that killed Hezbollah commander Hassan Badeer, his son (another Hezbollah member), and two others. Israel said Badeer was helping Hamas plan an imminent attack against Israeli civilians.
Israeli operations in Lebanon continued on a near-daily basis last week. On Friday, Israel struck in Dahiyeh, Beirut for the first time since the November 27 ceasefire, destroying a Hezbollah drone storage facility. Lebanese officials made equivocal statements on reining in Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes targeting more than 100 pickup trucks used by terrorist groups in Gaza. The IDF continued to extend operations in northern Gaza’s Beit Hanoun and Tel al Sultan in southern Gaza. Elements of four IDF divisions are now active in the new operation, which began on March 18.
Israel conducted a series of operations in Lebanon between March 18 and March 23, targeting Hezbollah personnel and assets. On Saturday, in response to rocket fire from Lebanon, Israel launched its most expansive series of attacks in Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire went into effect.
The Israel Defense Forces carried out an airstrike in southern Syria on March 25, stating it acted after gunmen fired on Israeli forces operating in the area. Syrian state media claimed that four civilians were killed. It is the latest clash in Syria as Israel continues to try to demilitarize the southern part of the country, an effort that has included airstrikes and ground operations in recent weeks.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have expanded ground operations in Gaza after launching a new operation on March 18. Operation Strength and Sword initially included airstrikes targeting Hamas officials, but the operations expanded on March 19 to limited ground maneuvers that have seized areas in southern, central, and northern Gaza. The IDF says the effort is designed to pressure Hamas to release the 59 hostages still held by the group.
After negotiations to extend the first phase of a ceasefire deadlocked, Israel conducted airstrikes against terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees acknowledged the deaths of several leaders.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted airstrikes in southern Syria on the evening of March 17, targeting military command centers and “sites containing weapons and military vehicles belonging to the old Syrian Regime.” The operations are part of a widening Israeli campaign to demilitarize southern Syria.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attacked a building in Damascus, Syria, on Thursday, stating it was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command and control center. The IDF said it conducted the strike due to concerns about planned attacks against Israeli territory. The Israeli military has increasingly carried out strikes in recent months against former and current Syrian regime assets and various groups, including Hamas.
Israel conducted two sets of airstrikes in south Lebanon on March 11 that targeted Hezbollah operatives. The first targeted a senior Hezbollah aerial defense operative, whose fate remains unknown. The second set of strikes targeted Hezbollah members in south Lebanon. Hezbollah-affiliated media announced two of the group’s fighters were killed.
Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, the new chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), visited Israel’s border with Syria on March 9. He traveled to IDF positions and met with commanders. It is his first visit to the border since assuming the role and part of a wider series of Israeli moves to bolster the border and warn the new government in Damascus to demilitarize southern Syria.
A comparison of actions by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in Lebanon after the ceasefire on November 27, 2024, demonstrates that the Lebanese have not taken significant action against Hezbollah.
Israel assassinated Khodr Hashem, the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force’s seaborn forces, in south Lebanon. Hashem was involved in armed activities and maritime weapons smuggling to Hezbollah before and after the November 27, 2024, Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement, activities which constituted a violation of the deal.