Israeli Strikes Against Hezbollah In Lebanon Leave Nearly 500 Dead — What To Know About Operation ‘Northern Arrows’

Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah's weapon depots in southern Lebanon, part of Operation ‘Northern Arrows,’ killed around 500 people.

As fighting continues to escalate, Israel is bracing for more attacks from the Iran-backed terror outfit that controls a large part of Lebanon.

Here’s what we know so far:

One, this is the deadliest strike since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

In response to Hezbollah launching over 200 rockets into northern Israel, causing damage but no significant casualties, the IDF reported that it struck around 1,600 targets across Lebanon, marking the deadliest day of airstrikes since the 2006 conflict with Hezbollah.

Thousands of Lebanese fled southern Lebanon, causing traffic jams on the main highway out of Sidon as cars headed toward Beirut in the largest exodus since the 2006 conflict. The airstrikes also resulted in over 1,000 injuries, marking a staggering one-day toll for a nation still recovering from multiple attacks the previous week.

Two, Israel notified residents before attacks.

Israel’s preparations for airstrikes on southern Lebanon included notifying residents via calls and text messages, warning them to evacuate areas where Hezbollah was believed to store weapons. The messages, delivered in Arabic, stated: “If you are in a building housing weapons for Hezbollah, move away from the village until further notice.” Israel also seized control of at least one Lebanese radio station to broadcast this alert.

To deliver these messages, Israel hacked into Lebanon’s telecommunications systems, a tactic refined over the past decade. Israeli military intelligence can geolocate and direct messages to specific cellphones in targeted areas. This strategy aims to minimize civilian casualties while targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

Three, Israel's airstrike targets Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

On Monday evening, Israel conducted an airstrike in Beirut aimed at assassinating Ali Karaki, Hezbollah’s top commander in southern Lebanon. The IDF was still assessing whether the strike had successfully killed Karaki.

In response, Hezbollah announced that Karaki was alive and well. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that the airstrike targeted a building in the Bir al-Abed neighborhood of Beirut’s southern suburbs, hitting it with three missiles.

Four, Hezbollah converted a Soviet recon drone into a cruise missile, like Ukraine.

The IDF reported that Hezbollah is now using converted Soviet-era Tu-143 jet reconnaissance drones as cruise missiles. On Monday, the IDF released a video allegedly showing an airstrike from several weeks ago targeting a home in southern Lebanon, where a “DR-3 cruise missile” was set to be launched. The DR-3 is another designation for the Soviet-made Tu-143 Reys reconnaissance drone.

This conversion of Tu-143s into long-range strike weapons was first demonstrated by Ukraine shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion. Although Hezbollah possesses a vast arsenal of missiles and rockets, this is the first instance of a converted Tu-143 being used as a quasi-land attack cruise missile in its inventory.

Five, the US is deploying more troops to the Middle East.

The Pentagon is sending additional US troops to the Middle East following Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. The deployment will consist of dozens of troops intended to help protect the thousands of Americans stationed in the region. This deployment follows a call between Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, during which Austin emphasized the need for a diplomatic resolution.