Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Israel's War on Hezbollah Faces Long Road to 'Mission Accomplished'

Experts differ on the odds of Israel being able to achieve its aims in the Hezbollah camaign. Meanwhile, a ground war looms.

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Khiam on September 25, 2024, the third day of major Israeli raids in the country as fighting with Hezbollah has intensified. (Photo by RABIH DAHER/AFP via Getty Images)

DEEP DIVE — Exploding beepers and walkie-talkies have killed and maimed Hezbollah operatives, air strikes have taken out top commanders, and hundreds of aerial bombardments have destroyed missile launch sites belonging to the militant group. In a single week, Israel has dealt a punishing blow to Hezbollah, the Iranian-financed Shia army that controls southern Lebanon and that has, since the day after the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas in Gaza, regularly bombarded Israel’s northern border regions.

The Israeli airstrikes have hit hundreds of targets, demolishing medium-range rockets, cruise missiles and drones, and workshops where Hezbollah was said to add precision guidance systems to its homemade missiles. Those exploding beepers and walkie-talkies killed at least 37 people, mostly Hezbollah members, and left nearly 300 Hezbollah officials, as well as Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, seriously injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. Israel claimed to have killed 10 Hezbollah commanders in a single airstrike, including the leader of the Radwan force, Hezbollah’s special foorces unit.

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Doing Battle in the Gray Zone

Doing Battle in the Gray Zone

Subscriber+Members are invited to join us on Wednesday, July 23 at 1:00p ET for an exclusive virtual conversation on gray zone operations led by [...] More

Report for Wednesday, July 9, 2025

9:12 America/New Wednesday, July 9 [...] More

The Real Impact of a Nuclear Bomb

FINE PRINT / OPINION — “This report explores the environmental effects and societal and economic consequences that would be expected to follow in the [...] More

As Taiwan Launches Military Drills, a Pressing Question for Washington

As Taiwan Launches Military Drills, a Pressing Question for Washington

TAIPEI, TAIWAN —Taiwan’s annual military exercise launching this week, will be its largest ever, mobilizing more than 22,000 reservists in response [...] More

Report for Tuesday, July 8, 2025

7:54 America/Chicago Tuesday, July 8 [...] More

U.S. Cyber Defense Starts with Defining Standards and Driving Collaboration

OPINION — President Donald J. Trump has returned to office with the renewed revelations that Chinese government-affiliated hackers continue to [...] More

Expert Q&A: What to Watch for at the Trump-Netanyahu Meeting

EXPERT Q&A — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House — [...] More

Report for Monday, July 7, 2025

8:03 America/Chicago Monday, July 7 [...] More

Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

Can President Trump Get a "Big, Beautiful" Deal in the Middle East?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – When Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump meet at the White House Monday, they will bring different ideas for resolving two [...] More