Hezbollah fires anti-ship cruise missile at Israeli warship 68 nautical miles off Lebanon — first such attack in the conflict; ship estimated damaged

Hezbollah claimed on April 5 that it launched anti-ship cruise missiles targeting an Israeli warship located 68 nautical miles off the coast of Lebanon. This marks the first time Hezbollah has used anti-ship cruise missiles in an attack against Israel during this conflict, representing a significant qualitative escalation. An Israeli journalist reported that Israel estimates the ship was damaged by the attack. If confirmed, this would demonstrate Hezbollah's ability to project maritime threat well beyond the Lebanese coastline, potentially complicating Israeli naval operations and commercial shipping in the eastern Mediterranean. The attack was part of Hezbollah's broader 24-hour claim of 40 attacks against Israeli targets, which also included rocket and drone strikes on northern Israeli towns and IDF positions in southern Lebanon. The IDF noted that Hezbollah has conducted at least 165 rocket attacks that fell inside or near UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah also published footage on April 4-5 claiming to show first-person view (FPV) drone attacks conducted on March 25 against an Israeli vehicle and two Merkava tanks in southern Lebanon, demonstrating continued tactical innovation. The IDF estimated that Hezbollah can maintain a fire rate of 200 rocket and drone launches per day for an additional five months, indicating the group retains substantial operational capacity despite months of sustained Israeli strikes. However, the IDF also identified 'significant cracks' in Hezbollah's command and control structure, particularly between the central leadership in Beirut and ground forces in southern Lebanon, and reported declining morale among Hezbollah fighters.