Battle of Maroun al-Ras (2024)

Last updated

Battle of Maroun al-Ras
Part of the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon
Israel-Lebanon-Syria-border-Conflict-2023.svg

  Israel
  Hezbollah presence in Lebanon
  Areas ordered evacuated by Israel

See here for a more detailed map.
Date2 October 2024 – present
Location
Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel InfoboxHez.PNG  Hezbollah
Casualties and losses
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 8+ soldiers killed
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 7+ critically wounded
Flag of the Israel Defense Forces.svg 3 Merkava tanks destroyed (per Hezbollah)
InfoboxHez.PNG Unknown

A battle has been taking place in Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon since 2 October 2024, when the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) attempted to enter the village, amid the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Contents

Background

On 1 October 2024, Israel began an invasion of Lebanon as part of the 2024 Israel–Hezbollah war and the Israel–Hezbollah conflict, results of the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war. It began after Hezbollah faced a series of setbacks in September 2024 that degraded its capabilities [1] [2] and eliminated most of its leadership; [3] [4] beginning with the pager explosions, [5] [6] followed by an Israeli aerial bombing campaign targeting Hezbollah throughout Lebanon, [7] killing over 800 and injuring at least 5,000 in a week, and culminating in the 27 September assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. [8] [9]

Battle

2 October

On 2 October 2024, Hezbollah forces engaged in combat with IDF soldiers who were attempting to enter Maroun al-Ras from the east. Hezbollah claimed to have inflicted several casualties among the Israelis, and said it destroyed three Merkava tanks with guided missiles as they approached Maroun al-Ras. [10] Israel reportedly faced stiff resistance from the Hezbollah fighters who stood ready. In a battle lasting just over an hour, Hezbollah successfully repelled an Israeli infantry unit from penetrating its defense lines. [11] Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat, including three commanders, and seven others were critically wounded. [12]

3 October

On 3 October 2024, Hezbollah stated that it had detonated two explosive devices at dawn against a group of IDF soldiers as they attempted to infiltrate the village, causing deaths and injuries. [13] [14]

4 October

On 4 October 2024, Hezbollah said that it had struck a group of Israeli soldiers near the Maroun al-Ras plain. [15]

5 October

On 5 October 2024, Hezbollah claimed to have hit an Israeli Merkava tank as it was advancing in the Maroun al-Ras forest area using a guided anti-armor missile, resulting in casualties. [16]

8 October

The IDF was filmed raising the Israeli flag in Maroun al-Ras. [17] [18] [19] The Israeli flag was raised in a location where the Iranian flag previously flew. The IDF also demolished the "Garden of Iran" which had a statue of assassinated IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani pointing at Israel and a replica of the Dome of the Rock. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hassan Nasrallah</span> Secretary-General of Hezbollah from 1992 to 2024

Hassan Nasrallah was a Lebanese cleric and politician who served as the secretary-general of Hezbollah, a Shia Islamist political party and militia, from 1992 until his assassination in 2024.

This is a timeline of events related to the 2006 Lebanon War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bint Jbeil</span> Key engagement in the 2006 Lebanon War

The Battle of Bint Jbeil was one of the main battles of the 2006 Lebanon War. Bint Jbeil is a major town of some 20,000 inhabitants in Southern Lebanon. Although Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch announced on 25 July that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had "complete control" of Bint Jbeil, this statement was later discredited. In spite of three sustained attempts by the IDF to conquer the town, it remained in the hands of Hezbollah until the end of the war. The town was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the war, with both sides taking heavy losses. Three senior Israeli officers, including Major Roi Klein, were killed in the battle. Hezbollah similarly lost several commanders, most notably Khalid Bazzi, commander of the Bint Jbeil area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Lebanon War</span> Armed conflict primarily between Israel and Hezbollah

The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War, was a 34-day armed conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The principal parties were Hezbollah paramilitary forces and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The conflict started on 12 July 2006, and continued until a United Nations-brokered ceasefire went into effect in the morning on 14 August 2006, though it formally ended on 8 September 2006 when Israel lifted its naval blockade of Lebanon.

Khalid Ahmad Bazzi was a Lebanese military commander who was the commander of Hezbollah's military wing, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon. In the 2006 Lebanon War, he was commanding officer in the battles of Maroun ar-Ras and Bint Jbeil. The heavy Israeli casualties and lack of progress of its army in these two battles is widely seen as the main cause of the Israeli failure in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jihad Mughniyah</span> Lebanese militant (1991–2015)

Jihad Mughniyah was a Lebanese politician and prominent member of the Lebanese Shia militant group Hezbollah, and the son of Imad Mughniyeh. He was killed in 2015 in the Mazraat Amal incident, an airstrike attributed to Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israel–Hezbollah conflict (2023–present)</span> Ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah have exchanged fire along the Israel–Lebanon border and in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights since 8 October 2023. Israel has also carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon and in Syria. The conflict is part of the spillover of the Israel–Hamas war and is the largest escalation of the Hezbollah–Israel conflict since the 2006 Lebanon War.

Events of the year 2024 in Israel.

Events in the year 2024 in Lebanon.

This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 2 January 2024, with the Assassination of Saleh al-Arouri, until 31 March 2024, one day prior to the Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus.

This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 1 April 2024, when Israel struck the Iranian consulate in Damascus, to 26 July 2024, one day before the Majdal Shams attack.

On 23 September 2024, Israel began a series of airstrikes in Lebanon as part of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict with an operation it code-named Northern Arrows. Since then, Israel's attacks have killed over 800 people, injured more than 5,000, and displaced hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians. The attacks are the deadliest in Lebanon since the end of the Lebanese Civil War, and began five days after Israel performed a deadly pager and walkie-talkie attack on devices intended for Hezbollah members, and three days after Israel performed an airstrike on an apartment complex in Beirut which killed Redwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil as well as 54 others.

This timeline of the Israel–Hezbollah conflict covers the period from 17 September 2024, when Hezbollah pagers exploded throughout Lebanon and Syria to the present. Beginning 23 September, Israel begun mass airstrikes on Lebanon, on 27 September, they assassinated Hassan Nasrallah, and on 1 October, they invaded Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Hezbollah headquarters strike</span> Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon

On 27 September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The strike took place while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at a headquarters located 60 feet (18 m) underground beneath residential buildings in Haret Hreik in the Dahieh suburb to the south of Beirut. Conducted by the Israeli Air Force using F-15I fighters, the operation involved dropping more than 80 bombs, including US-made 2,000-pound (910 kg) bunker buster bombs, destroying the underground headquarters as well as nearby buildings. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) codenamed the operation "New Order".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon</span> Ongoing Israeli military operation against Lebanon

On 1 October 2024, Israel invaded southern Lebanon in an escalation of the ongoing Israel–Hezbollah conflict, a spillover of the Israel–Hamas war. It followed a series of major attacks on Hezbollah in September that degraded its capabilities and devastated its leadership; beginning with the explosions of its communication devices. This was followed by an Israeli aerial bombing campaign against Hezbollah throughout Lebanon. On 27 September, Israel assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike. Nevertheless, the level of resistance by the group has surprised many observers. Some Israeli sources have called the conflict the Third Lebanon War. The ground campaign marks the fourth invasion of Lebanese territory by the IDF, following incursions of varying scale in 1978, 1982 and 2006.

On the night of 3 October 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike on an underground bunker in Dahieh, a predominantly Shia Muslim suburb in the south of Beirut, Lebanon, where Hezbollah leaders, including Hashem Safieddine, had convened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Odaisseh clashes</span> 2024 Israel-Hezbollah engagement

A battle began in the village of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon on 1 October 2024, amid the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

The Battle of Ayta ash Shab was a military engagement between Israel and Hezbollah during the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon starting on 1 October 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kafr Kila</span>

A battle began in the village of Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon on 1 October 2024, amid the 2024 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

References

  1. "After the decapitation of Hizbullah, Iran could race for a nuclear bomb". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  2. Ibish, Hussein (30 September 2024). "Hezbollah Got Caught in Its Own Trap". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  3. Mackenzie, James; Gebeily, Maya; Lubell, Maayan (1 October 2024). "Israel says it's raiding Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, group fires at Israel". Reuters.
  4. Nakhoul, Samia; Hafezi, Parisa; Lubell, Maayan (29 September 2024). "Nasrallah's killing reveals depth of Israel's penetration of Hezbollah". Reuters.
  5. Lidman, Melanie; Mroue, Bassem; Hatoum, Bassam (23 September 2024). "Israeli strikes kill 492 in Lebanon's deadliest day of conflict since 2006". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. El Deeb, Sarah (20 September 2024). "Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli airstrike was top military official on US wanted list". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 29 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  7. Stroul, Dana (23 September 2024). "Israel and Hezbollah Are Escalating Toward Catastrophe". Foreign Affairs. ISSN   0015-7120. Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  8. "Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike". Associated Press. 28 September 2024. Archived from the original on 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  9. Mroue, Bassem; Lidman, Melanie (28 September 2024). "Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  10. McCready, Alastair; Siddiqui, Usaid (2 October 2024). "Hezbollah says clashes ongoing with Israeli troops near border". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 1 October 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024. The Lebanese group says fighting is ongoing with Israeli forces infiltrating the town of Maroun al-Ras from its eastern side. Hezbollah said its fighters had "inflicted several casualties among them".
  11. "Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun: Where Israel soldiers face stiff fight from Hezbollah during ground invasion | Lebanon war". The Week. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  12. "Hezbollah kills at least eight Israeli soldiers after south Lebanon infiltration attempt". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  13. Marsi, Federica; Varshalomidze, Tamila (3 October 2024). "Hezbollah claims to have attacked Israeli military six more times". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024. We reported earlier on more than a dozen attacks on Israeli targets by the Lebanese armed group. Since then, Hezbollah claimed to have detonated two explosive devices at dawn "when an enemy Israeli infantry force attempted to infiltrate towards the village of Maroun al-Ras" in southern Lebanon.
  14. Marsi, Federica; Varshalomidze, Tamila (3 October 2024). "Hezbollah says detonates bomb against Israeli soldiers". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 3 October 2024. The Lebanese group says its fighters have detonated an explosive device against a group of Israeli soldiers near Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon. The attack at noon local time caused deaths and injuries, Hezbollah claimed.
  15. Motamedi, Maziar; Speri, Alice; Adler, Nils; Pietromarchi, Virginia (4 October 2024). "Hezbollah says it struck Israeli soldiers in different locations". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 October 2024. Hezbollah says it launched a missile attack on the Israeli Nafah base in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In a separate message on social media, the group said it stuck a gathering of Israeli soldiers near the Maroun al-Ras plain in southern Lebanon. And with another salvo, it said it targeted the Kfar Jalaadi settlement, north of Israel.
  16. Motamedi, Maziar. "Israeli air strikes across Lebanon as war on Gaza nears one-year mark". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  17. "Soldiers raise Israeli flag in southern Lebanon village". Washington Post . 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  18. "IDF troops raise Israeli flag in Maroun El Ras, southern Lebanon". The Jerusalem Post . 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  19. "Israeli soldiers raise flag in Lebanese town's "Iran Garden"". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  20. Fabian, Emanuel (9 October 2024). "IDF troops raise Israeli flag in Lebanon, on ruins of site where Iranian flag previously stood". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 9 October 2024.