The previously sporadic fighting escalated on 8 October 2023 – the day after the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen from Gaza – when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Since then, the group has launched more than 8,000 rockets at northern Israel and Israeli positions on the Golan Heights, fired anti-tank missiles at armoured vehicles, and attacked military targets with explosive drones.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have retaliated, using air strikes and tank and artillery fire against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s health ministry says at least 589 people have been killed since October 2023. Most of them were Hezbollah fighters, but at least 137 were civilians, according to the ministry.
In Israel, authorities say at least 25 civilians and 21 soldiers have been killed as a direct result of attacks.
Almost 200,000 people have also been displaced on both sides of the border.
Despite the fighting, observers say that up till now both sides have aimed to contain hostilities without crossing the line into full-scale war. But there are fears that the situation could spiral out of control.
Those fears soared after the killing of 12 children in a rocket attack in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on 27 July. Israel said Hezbollah carried out the attack, but the group denied involvement.
On 30 July, the IDF announced that it had killed senior Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in an air strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The following day, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran’s capital, Tehran. Israel neither confirmed nor denied any involvement.
Ever since, the region has been waiting for a response from Hezbollah and Iran, both of whom vowed to retaliate against Israel.
The US is hoping to de-escalate tensions by brokering a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, and is putting pressure on Israel and Hamas. Hezbollah has said it will only stop the hostilities once the fighting in Gaza ends.
