The biggest events in Israel-Hezbollah war: From Nasrallah's killing to attacking Netanyahu's residence

With a ceasefire imminent, here are six critical events that shaped the most recent war

Buildings levelled in Beirut on September 27 by the Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. AFP

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More than a year of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has included crucial events and escalations that will carry ramifications for the region for years to come.

But the past two months have seen unprecedented developments on the battlefield – not least the escalation on the Lebanon-Israel front, previously opened by Hezbollah in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza, into full-scale war.

The National takes a look at six decisive events of the war.

Pager and walkie-talkie detonations – Israel’s ‘act of war’

On September 17, thousands of hand-held pagers belonging to members of Hezbollah – secretly made by the Israeli Mossad and sold to Hezbollah through a shell company – detonated across Lebanon and parts of Syria, wounding around 3,000 people and killing at least 12.

Perhaps more shockingly, it happened again the very next day, this time with walkie-talkies.

Over 25 people were killed and hundreds injured. Hezbollah’s late leader, Hassan Nasrallah, pledged retribution, acknowledging the deadly back-to-back operations as an “unprecedented blow” to his group and calling them an “act of war”.

The lethal attacks killed a total of 37 people and wounded thousands, dealing a significant blow to Hezbollah’s fighting force. After the attacks, Israel announced that a “new phase” of the war in northern Israel and Lebanon had begun.

Hassan Nasrallah assassinated

Ten days later, on September 27, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a huge Israeli air strike on a residential compound in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah leaders were meeting in underground headquarters.

The raid that killed him also destroyed six apartment buildings. The death of the enigmatic figure who had led Hezbollah for more than three decades sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East and dealt a heavy blow to the group.

Days later, Israel also assassinated the person believed to be Mr Nasrallah’s imminent successor, Hashem Safieddine.

It later emerged that Mr Nasrallah had agreed in principle to a 21-day ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later pledged during his speech at the UN that Israel would continue “degrading Hezbollah” until its objectives were met.

Shortly after, powerful explosions rocked Lebanon’s capital as Israel killed Nasrallah in a massive strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, derailing the negotiations.

On October 29, then-deputy leader Naim Qassem was promoted to the role of secretary general of Hezbollah. Mr Qassem is now leading the powerful political party and paramilitary in its war with Israel.

Israel invades Lebanon – again

As it had repeatedly threatened to do, on October 1 Israel invaded southern Lebanon with US support, waging a ground offensive in the south supported by bombardment from the air across parts of the country.

Israel said it was carrying out the ground invasion to further degrade Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

After pummelling much of Lebanon in a series of massive bombardments, wiping out Hezbollah’s senior leadership and detonating the pagers and walkie-talkies, Israeli soldiers backed by tanks and aerial support invaded Lebanon – again. Israel had previously invaded Lebanon on two occasions: In 1978 and 1982, with the second invasion turning into an 18-year occupation of south Lebanon that ended in 2000.

While Israel has made slow progress, it has advanced several miles into Lebanon's territory. It has also ordered residents to leave the south and destroyed many Lebanese villages though comprehensive, large-scale detonations. Videos have surfaced online of Israeli soldiers filming themselves and expressing joy as they wipe out people’s homes.

But the fighting has been fierce and deadly. On October 2, at least seven elite Israeli soldiers were killed when they were ambushed by Hezbollah fighters, illustrating how tricky it is to wage a war against an enemy who knows the land well.

For the past two months Israel has tried to occupy the strategically important town of Khiam, 6km from the border. But despite an escalation in efforts over the past two weeks, Israel has failed to take the town.

Hezbollah kills four soldiers and injures dozens in strike on Israeli base

In one of the deadliest days for the Israeli army, on October 13, a Hezbollah drone strike on a base 32km south of Haifa killed four soldiers and injured at least 58.

At the time it was described as the biggest attack in a year on an Israeli position. The strike hit a training camp of the Golan Brigade in Binyamina, which has been active in south Lebanon.

Coming days after Hezbollah’s senior leadership was wiped out and a few weeks after the pager and walkie-talkie attacks, the assault with a swarm of drones showed the group was still capable of inflicting severe damage on Israel. It also showed that Hezbollah was able to launch attacks that could evade Israel’s advanced early-warning systems.

Hezbollah said the attack was a response to two Israeli strikes on central Beirut that killed at least 22 people, and part of a series of retaliations for the killing of Nasrallah.

Israeli Prime Minister’s house hit by Hezbollah drone

On October 19, a drone hit the home of Mr Netanyahu in the seaside town of Caesarea. Days later Hezbollah would claim responsibility for the attack. Hezbollah spokesman Mohammad Afif, who has since been killed, had hinted at further attacks.

There was only superficial damage to the summer home and Mr Netanyahu was not present, but it showed that Hezbollah was still able to carry out far-reaching operations despite the series of blows dealt to the group.

Mr Netanyahu described it as an assassination attempt on him and his wife Sara.

Hezbollah hits Tel Aviv

Hezbollah had repeatedly attacked Israeli military bases close to Tel Aviv and sites across Israel. Over the weekend, debris fell on houses close to Tel Aviv when the city itself was hit, leaving buildings on fire and injuring five.

Hezbollah said it fired "a barrage of advanced missiles and a swarm of attack drones" at a "military target" in Tel Aviv.

Mr Qassem had threatened to hit Tel Aviv if Beirut was hit. In the past two weeks, central Beirut has been attacked at least four times as Israel has expanded the scope of its strikes, with the casualties including Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

The escalations from both sides came even as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah seemed reachable.

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  Panic at a Beirut hospital after thousands, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were injured when the pagers they used to communicate exploded across Lebanon. Several people were killed. Reuters

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  Mourners in Beirut's southern suburbs carry the coffins of people killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded, in a mass funeral on September 18, 2024. AFP

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  A man stands on the rubble of buildings near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 29, 2024. AP

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  Workers drape a building in a vast banner depicting Nasrallah in Tehran, two days after his assassination by Israeli forces in Beirut. Getty Images

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  Israeli soldiers work on tanks at a staging post near the border with Lebanon on October 1, 2024. AP

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  Israeli soldiers rest in an operation zone near Naqoura, southern Lebanon on October 13, 2024, after a ground invasion was launched. Getty Images

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  People take cover by a roadside in Tel Aviv as a siren sounds after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel. Reuters

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  Iranian-launched projectiles being intercepted by Israel above Jerusalem on October 1, 2024. AFP

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  The aftermath of a rocket salvo in Petah Tikva, near Tel Aviv, on November 24, 2024. Hezbollah said it launched the missiles from Lebanon at an Israeli army intelligence base. AFP

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  Residents in Petah Tikva check the damage after the rockets were fired from Lebanon. AFP