The Northern Front Opens
Hezbollah enters the war — IDF launches offensive into Lebanon
On the night of March 1–2, Hezbollah launched missiles and drones at northern Israel, breaking the November 2024 ceasefire. The IDF responded within hours with strikes across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut's Dahieh — Hezbollah's stronghold. 31 killed, 149 wounded in Lebanon. IDF chief Zamir: "Prepare for many prolonged days of combat." ~50 Lebanese villages ordered evacuated. When asked about a ground invasion: "All options are on the table." This is the most significant escalation of the conflict — Hezbollah's 130,000-rocket arsenal makes Lebanon potentially more dangerous than Iran itself.
Key facts
- •First rockets from Lebanon since ceasefire — Mar 1, sirens across northern Israel
- •Hezbollah full barrage Mar 2: missiles and drones at Israeli military targets
- •Mar 3 dawn: drone swarm hits Ramat David airbase — radar and control rooms
- •Meron air traffic control base struck simultaneously
- •IDF ground incursion authorized — tanks advancing from Metula
- •30,000+ Lebanese civilians displaced — 52 killed in Beirut suburbs strike
Timeline
Hezbollah fires rockets and drones at northern Israel
IDF launches strikes on Dahieh, Beirut — explosions wake residents
IDF strikes southern Lebanon and Bekaa Valley
Lebanon MoH: 31 killed, 149 wounded
IDF chief Zamir: "Prepare for many prolonged days of combat"
First Hezbollah rockets from Lebanon — sirens across northern Galilee
Hezbollah launches full missile and drone barrage at Israeli military targets
Hezbollah drone swarm strikes Ramat David airbase — radar and control rooms hit
Meron air traffic control base struck simultaneously
IDF ground incursion authorized — tanks advance from Metula into Lebanon
Lebanon government demands Hezbollah disarm — refused
IDF kills IRGC Quds Force Lebanon Corps commander Daoud Ali Zadeh