The IDF says it destroyed more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure beneath Ali al Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and identified the facility as a central command complex for Hezbollah’s Badr Unit. Israeli Army Radio reported that troops subsequently withdrew from the ridge and redeployed toward Beaufort, and Israel says it will retain control of Ali al Taher through surveillance and firepower.

The Board of Peace continues efforts to assemble the International Stabilization Force for Gaza, securing commitments from Kosovo and Albania as preparations advance to implement the US-backed peace plan. While progress on the ground remains tied to Hamas’s disarmament and Israel’s political timetable, international planning for Gaza’s future governance and security continues to move forward.

The Lebanese Armed Forces said its operations in three southern Lebanon pilot areas have produced “operational control.” The military’s first detailed official accounting of arms seizures there shows that roughly 86 percent of its 1,818-item weapons-and-ammunition tally consists of “light ammunition.”

Israel accused Hezbollah of launching an explosive-laden drone at its positions in the Ali Al Taher Ridge on July 29, despite a ceasefire that went into effect on June 19. Hezbollah has not claimed the attack or issued a denial of the Israeli claims.

The US-led Board of Peace said on July 8 that it would soon begin setting up a “pilot zone” in Gaza that would bring unarmed civilians screened for Hamas links across the Yellow Line into the Israeli-controlled portion of the territory. Meanwhile, Hamas has escalated ceasefire violations in the areas it still controls as the group works to rebuild its forces.

Syria has completed the formation of its new People’s Assembly, appointing the final 70 members of parliament as part of the country’s political transition following the fall of the Assad regime. Meanwhile, security tensions persist along the Israeli border, where recent clashes and Israeli military operations underscore the complex security environment.

Anti-Hamas organizers in Gaza had hoped June 26 would bring a wave of large demonstrations against the terror group. However, Hamas worked to lower turnout with arrests, threats, and armed street deployments.

Efforts to advance the US-backed peace plan for Gaza have continued amid difficult negotiations over Hamas’s disarmament and the future security structure of the enclave. Talks in Cairo involving Hamas, Egyptian officials, and representatives of the Board of Peace have focused on implementing key provisions related to weapons restrictions and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force.

On June 14, the Israeli military confirmed that it killed Ali Mousa Daqduq, a wanted and dangerous Hezbollah military commander. Daqduq was a key architect of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and a top Hezbollah commander involved in leading attacks inside Israel. He was previously reported killed in the fall of 2024, but his death was never confirmed.

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.

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.

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.
