Most of the casualties occurred after September
More than 10 times the number from the Second Lebanon War
As refugees continue to return to Lebanon, vehicles are seen passing through the devastated Al Zahrani area in southern Lebanon on the 28th (local time).
It has been claimed that up to 4,000 Hamas fighters may have died due to the conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah prompted by the Gaza war.
On the 28th (local time), the Times of Israel and Reuters, citing multiple sources, reported that “Hezbollah may have lost up to 4,000 fighters,” which is more than 10 times the number who died in the one-month war with Israel in 2006.
The sources indicate that “the majority died after Israel intensified its offensive in September.” Since September, Israel has stepped up its offensive against Hezbollah strongholds, including airstrikes. In particular, casualties surged on September 17-18 when an accident occurred where wireless pagers and radios carried by Hezbollah operatives simultaneously exploded.
Lebanese health authorities have recorded around 3,800 deaths due to clashes between Hezbollah and Israel since the Gaza war began. The Lebanese health ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. The Israeli military estimates that it has killed about 3,000 Hezbollah fighters.
Regarding the conflict with Hezbollah, Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesperson, stated in a recent announcement that “since the start of the conflict in October last year, we have conducted airstrikes on 12,500 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon,” as reported by the local media outlet Haaretz. He explained that “through this, we have reduced Hezbollah’s launch capabilities, attacked strategic assets, removed its leadership, and disrupted its command and control network,” adding that “approximately 70% of Hezbollah’s drones were destroyed.”