Spotlight on Terrorism – September 2024

Overview^[1]

• During September 2024 the fighting continued in the Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria and south Lebanon, and the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen continued attacking Israel.
• The Gaza Strip: Four rockets were fired at Israeli territory, the lowest monthly figure since Gaza Strip War began on October 7, 2023. Israel continued eliminating the most senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad military leaders.
• Judea, Samaria and Israel: Terrorists carried out six attacks in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, killing seven Israelis, including four security personnel. Three of the attacks were carried out by Palestinians, one by a Jordanian and two by Israeli Arabs. Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities, focusing on northern Samaria. Sixteen terrorist operatives were killed in airstrikes, including terrorist organization commanders in Tubas, Tulkarm and Qabatya.
• Lebanon: The fighting between Israel and Lebanon escalated following the explosions of Hezbollah operatives’ communications devices and the increase in Israeli attacks, during which senior Hezbollah officials, headed by secretary general Hassan Nasrallah, were eliminated. The IDF launched Operation Northern Arrows. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 298 attacks on military and civilian targets in Israel, including cities, towns, villages and IDF bases which had not been attacked since the beginning of the conflict on October 8, 2023. Following the escalation, Hezbollah extended its range of attacks, including the first attack on the Tel Aviv area, and introduced new weapons. With the increase in the number of operatives killed, Hezbollah began to issue only the names of the senior members of the organization who had been eliminated. Terrorist organizations working alongside Hezbollah claimed attacks on Israel and deaths as a result of the fighting.
• The Shi’ite militias: The Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued 31 claims of responsibility for attacking 34 targets in Israeli territory, the highest figure since May 2024. There was no confirmation for most of the launches and some of them were intercepted. The Houthis claimed responsibility for four attacks on Israel, three of which involved surface-to-surface missiles. Israel responded with an airstrike on Yemeni territory.

Palestinian Terrorism

The Gaza Strip

Rocket fire

• During September 2024 four rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip:
  • September 8, 2024: Two rockets were fired at Ashqelon from the northern Gaza Strip. One was intercepted and the other fell into the sea (IDF spokesperson, September 8, 2024). The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed responsibility for the launch (Filastin al-Yawm Telegram channel, September 9, 2024).
  • September 14, 2024: Two rockets were fired at Ashqelon from the northern Gaza Strip. One was intercepted and the other fell into the sea (IDF spokesperson, September 14, 2024).

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since June 2022

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

The elimination of prominent terrorists

• During September Israeli security forces eliminated leading terrorist operatives:
  • On September 3, 2024, Ahmed Fawzi Nasser Muhammad Wadiya was killed in an attack on the Hamas compound near al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. He commanded the nukhba Daraj-Tufah Battalion and was a Hamas paragliding terrorist. On October 7, 2023, paraglided into Israeli territory and commanded the massacre of Netiv HaAsara, a community to the north of the Gaza Strip. He was videoed drinking Coca Cola in the home of the Tasa family in front of the children after slaughtering their father. Seven other Hamas operatives from the Daraj-Tufah Battalion were killed in the attack, including a terrorist operative who supplied the explosives to detonate the border fence in the October 7^th attack (IDF spokesperson, September 3, 2024).
  • On September 3, 2024, an Israeli Air Force aircraft eliminated Raef Omar Shalman Abu Shab, the commander of the Hamas East Khan Yunis Battalion rocket unit. From the beginning of the war he had been responsible for firing rocket barrages from the Khan Yunis area at the Israeli cities, towns and villages surrounding Gaza and at the center of the country (IDF spokesperson, September 8, 2024).
• On September 5, 2024, Abdallah Khattab, the commander of the PIJ’s South Deir al-Balah Battalion, was killed in an attack on a command and control complex hidden inside a Deir al-Balah humanitarian facility. He commanded the South Deir al-Balah Battalion terrorist operatives who participated in the attack and massacre on October 7. Several other terrorist operatives were killed in the attack, including Hatem Abu al-Jadian, commander of the PIJ’s East Deir al-Balah Battalion (IDF spokesperson, September 7, 2024).

   
Khattab and Abu al-Jadian’s “ID cards” (IDF spokesperson, September 7, 2024)

• • On the night of September 9, 2024, Samer Isma’il Hader Abu Daqqa, head of Hamas’ aerial array, was killed in a targeted attack on the Hamas command and control complex in the humanitarian area in Khan Yunis. Killed with him were the head of the observation and targets section at the Hamas military intelligence headquarters, and Ayman Mabhouh, a senior Hamas terrorist operative. According to reports, they were involved in the October 7^th attack and other attacks on IDF forces and the territory of the State of Israel (IDF spokesperson, September 10, 2024).
  • On September 11, 2024, the Israeli Air Force attacked a Hamas command and control complex situated in the al-Ja’ouni school in al-Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip. Several Hamas operatives were killed, some of whom were UNRWA employees (IDF spokesperson Telegram channel, September 11, 2024). Palestinian media reported 15 dead in the attack on the al-Ja’ouni School (Palestinian media center, September 11, 2024). UNRWA claimed that six of its employees had been killed in two attacks on and in the vicinity of the school (UNRWA X account, September 12, 2024). The IDF spokesperson stated that at least nine Hamas terrorist operatives had been identified as killed in the attack, including three UNRWA employees (IDF spokesperson, September 12, 2024).

• • On September 11, 2024, Abdullah Abu Ryalah, a terrorist operative in Hamas’ al-Shati Brigade, was killed in an Israeli Air Force attack. He participated in the October 7^th attack and massacre was involved in the capture of the late Corporal Noa Marciano, who was kidnapped on October 7^th and murdered in al-Shifa Hospital (IDF spokesperson, September 11, 2024).
  • On September 11, 2024, Muhammad Abu Is’eed, aka al-Hafs, a terrorist operative in Hamas’ al-Shati Brigade, was killed in an airstrike. On October 7, 2023, he was videoed taking Naama Levy, a kidnapped female soldier, off an IDF jeep inside the Gaza Strip (Zaher Abu Hussein’s X account, September 12, 2024; enas99921’s X account, September 13, 2024).
  • On September 16, 2024, Ahmed Ayesh Salamah al-Hashash, who headed the PIJ’s rocket unit in the Rafah area, was killed in an Israeli Air Force attack. According to reports, he fired rockets at Israeli territory, exploiting the humanitarian zone in Khan Yunis (IDF spokesperson, September 17, 2024).
  • On September 26, 2024, Suleiman Jawad Suleiman Abu Lafi was killed in an Israeli Air Force attack in the Rafah area. According to reports, he was involved in transferring weapons to the Gaza Strip and directed terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria from the Gaza Strip. His brother Abdullah Abu Lafi, an operative in the PIJ’s military wing, was also killed in the attack (IDF spokesperson, September 26, 2024).

Judea, Samaria and Israel

Terrorist attacks

• During September 2024, Palestinian terrorists carried out six attacks, killing seven Israelis, including four security personnel:
  • Shooting in South Mount Hebron: On September 1, 2024, a drive-by shooting targeted an Israeli police car near the Tarqumiyah checkpoint in South Mount Hebron; three Israeli policemen were killed. A few hours later, the Israeli security forces located the shooter, Muhannad al-Asawdah, ​​in a building in Hebron; he was killed in an exchange of fire; an M-16 rifle was found with the body. According to reports, al-Asawdah, ​​from the village of Idna, was a Fatah terrorist operative and previously an operative in the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) “presidential guard” (IDF spokesperson, September 1, 2024). Palestinian media confirmed he had carried out the shooting attack and had been a member of presidential guard until 2015 before he began working as an electrical contractor (Israel Communications Center Telegram channel, September 1, 2024). The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claimed responsibility and confirmed the attack had been carried out by Muhannad Muhammad al-Asawdah, from the village of Idna. According to the claim of responsibility, the attack was revenge “for the blood of the shaheeds and a response to the Zionist massacres in the Gaza Strip, to the crimes of the occupation in the occupied West Bank and to the ongoing violations of al-Aqsa Mosque led by the criminal Ben-Gvir” (al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades Telegram channel, September 2, 2024).
  • Shooting at the Allenby Crossing: On September 8, 2024, a shooting at the Allenby Crossing cargo terminal killed three Israeli workers. The terrorist came in a truck from Jordan, got out at the Allenby Crossing and opened fire at the security forces; he was shot and killed (IDF spokesperson, September 8, 2024). He was identified as Maher Diab Awdat al-Jazi al-Huwaiti, aka Abu Qader, a Jordanian citizen who worked as a truck driver (al-Khalil MIX Telegram channel, September 8, 2024). Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, praised the “heroic, quality action.” He added that “the Jordanian hero’s gun in support of the Palestinians and al-Aqsa was more effective than huge armies and an overflowing military arsenal,” and indicated the nightmare awaiting the “Zionist entity” from “the nation’s heroes” (al-Jazeera Mubasher, September 8, 2024).
  • Vehicle ramming attack in Eli: On September 7, 2024, a Palestinian driver rammed into a police car at a gas station at the Eli intersection. There were no casualties. The driver was detained (IDF spokesperson, September 7, 2024).
  • Vehicle ramming attack in Givat Assaf: On September 11, 2024, a Palestinian terrorist drove a truck into an IDF force on operational activity at the Givat Assaf intersection, killing an IDF soldier. IDF fighters and an armed civilian killed the terrorist. He was Hael Deif Allah, 58 years old, from Rafat in the Ramallah region (IDF spokesperson and Israeli media, September 11, 2024).

• • Stabbing in the Old City of Jerusalem: On September 15, 2024, a Palestinian terrorist armed with a sharp object stabbed a Border Police fighter at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem; he was shot and killed. He was Zayid Abu Sbeih, 33 years old, from Ar’ara in the Negev (Israel Police Force spokesperson’s unit and Israeli media, September 15-16, 2024).
  • Stabbing at the IDF Lakish Base: On September 23, 2024, an Arab-Israeli worker from Reineh armed with a hammer attacked a soldier at the Central Command training base in Lachish. A soldier shot and killed him. There were no injuries. According to reports, he was at the base working for a contractor (IDF spokesperson and Israeli media, September 23, 2024). Hamas issued a mourning notice for the “shaheed fighter” Osamah Najem from the village of Reineh near Nazareth, killed by “occupation forces” fire after he attempted to carry out an attack inside an IDF military base near the abandoned village of Beit Jibrin (al-Aroub camp Telegram channel, September 23, 2023).

Critical terrorist attacks, 2024^[2]

Annual distribution of critical terrorist attacks

Counterterrorism activities

• During September 2024 the Israeli security forces continued counter-terrorism activities throughout Judea and Samaria, focusing on northern Samaria. The IDF’s Operation Summer Camps began in August 2024, and included the entry of the security forces into Palestinian refugee camps, as well as cities, towns and villages, primarily Jenin, Tulkarm and Tubas, to locate Palestinians wanted for terrorist activities and to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.^[3] Explosive devices, laboratories and lathes for the production of weapons and funds for financing terrorist activity were seized, and terrorist operatives were attacked from the air:
  • On September 5, 2024, five armed terrorist operatives were killed in an Israeli Air Force airstrike in Tubas. According to reports, one of the dead was Muhammad Zakaria Zubeidi, and he and other operatives of the squad were involved in shooting attacks along the border and attacks on Israeli security forces (IDF spokesperson, September 5, 2024). The PIJ’s military wing confirmed that the five dead were operatives in its ranks: Muhammad Nazmi Abu Za’ah, 23 years old, and Muhammad Zakaria al-Zubeidi, 21 years old, who were operatives in the Jenin Battalion; Ahmed Fayez Abu Dawas, 24 years old, a commander in the Tubas Battalion; Muhammad Awad Salem Abu Jum’ah, 30 years old, and Qusay Majdi Abdallah al-Razeq, 26 years old, were Tubas Battalion operatives (Shehab Agency Telegram channel, September 5, 2024). Hamas issued a mourning notice for the five terrorist operatives (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, September 5, 2024).

• • On September 11, 2024, an Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a squad of five terrorist operatives armed with explosive devices and attempting to attack the security forces during an operation in the Tubas area (IDF spokesperson, September 11, 2024). The PIJ’s military wing confirmed that the five dead belonged to its Tubas Battalion: Muhammad Hussein Sa’eed Sawaftah, Majed Burhan Jamil Sawaftah, Yassin Ahmed Ali Sawaftah, Qays Saeb Sawaftah and Tulbah Mahmoud Basharat (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, September 13, 2024).

• • On September 11, 2024, an Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked vehicles transporting terrorist operatives in the Nur Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. According to reports, the attack killed three PIJ operatives: Muhammad Abu Atiya, Imad Shehadeh, and Salah al-Bidu, all of whom were involved in shooting and explosive device attacks on Israeli cities, towns and villages and on the security forces. Abu Atiya was also involved in killing an undercover unit fighter in October 2023 (IDF spokesperson, September 12, 2024). The PIJ’s military wing reported that Muhammad Nasser Atiya, Imad Khader Shehadeh and Salah Amar Bidu were commanders in the Tulkarm Battalion (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, September 12, 2024).
  • On September 19, 2024, seven armed terrorist operatives were killed by Israeli security forces in Qabatyah in the Jenin region. According to reports, three of the terrorist operatives were killed in an Israeli Air Force attack on the vehicle in which they were traveling, including Shadi Zakarnah, who was the head of the terrorist organization in Qabatiya (IDF spokesperson, September 20, 2024). According to the PIJ military wing, the five dead belonged to the Qabatya network of the Jenin Battalion: Ahmed Maher Zakaria, 28 years old, Mustafa Faisal Zakaria, 23 years old, Omar Hamza Abu al-Rob, 24 years old, Muhammad Khaled Abu al-Rob, 28 years old, and Fadi Jawdat Hanaysha, 27 years old (Jerusalem Brigades Telegram channel, September 21, 2024).

Terrorist Attacks from Lebanon

Hezbollah attacks

• During September 2024 Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 298 attacks on military and civilian targets in Israel, using anti-tank missiles, artillery shells, UAVs, exploding drones and various types of rockets (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 1 to 30, 2024). Two IDF soldiers were killed and at least ten civilians and members of the security forces were injured, and there was considerable property damage (IDF spokesperson and Israeli media, September 1 to 30, 2024.

• Hezbollah activities during the month of September 2024:
  • Expanding attacks to new targets in Israeli territory: Hezbollah announced the first attacks on civilian settlements which had not been targeted after the beginning of hostilities on October 8, 2023. They followed Hassan Nasrallah’s warning of July 17, 2024, that if Israel attacked Lebanese “civilians” Hezbollah would attack previously untouched Israeli cities, towns and villages. For the most part Hezbollah attacked sites which had not been evacuated and IDF bases located more than five kilometers from the Israel-Lebanon.
  • Extending the rocket and missile range: Hezbollah extended the firing of rockets and missiles range deep into Israeli territory following the escalation in the fighting against Israel: the explosions of Hezbollah’s communications devices on September 17 and 18, 2024; the elimination of Ibrahim Aqil on September 20, 2024; Operation Northern Arrows which began on September 23, 2024; and the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah on September 27, 2024. On September 22, 2024, rockets were launched into the Jezreel Valley and the Lower Galilee (Hezbollah claimed an Israeli Air Force base was attacked) and the Haifa suburbs (Hezbollah claimed a security industrial site was attacked). On September 25, 2024, a Hezbollah surface-to-surface missile was launched at Israel. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching a Qader-1 ballistic missile at Mossad headquarters in the suburbs of Tel Aviv; rockets were also fired at Tiberias, Haifa, Zichron Ya’acov, and Atlit and the Jerusalem area.
  • Introducing new weapons: On September 22, 2024, Hezbollah announced that Fadi-1 and Fadi-2 rockets^[4] had used for the first time in attacks on the Jezreel Valley and the Haifa suburbs; On September 24, 2024, Hezbollah announced using Fadi-3 missiles for the first time. On September 25, 2024, Hezbollah announced that a Qader-1 ballistic missile^[5] had been used for the first time to attack Mossad headquarters. On September 30, 2024, Hezbollah announced the first use of a Nur missile to attack Kfar Giladi.^[6]

Other terrorist organizations

• On September 7, 2024, the operations room of the Lebanese Resistance Battalions claimed responsibility for attacking the IDF post on Mount Dov (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 7, 2024).
• On September 9, 2024, the al-Fajr forces, al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya’s military wing, claimed responsibility for firing a barrage of rockets at an IDF post in Kiryat Shmona “in response to the massacres of the residents of Lebanon and Palestine and in support of the residents of Gaza and the West Bank.” According to the claim of responsibility, there had been “direct hits” (al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya, September 9, 2024).
• On September 11, 2024, the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, claimed responsibility for firing a volley of 30 rockets at IDF headquarters in the Western Galilee (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, September 11 and 14, 2024).

Hezbollah casualties

• During September 2024, Hezbollah announced the death of 83 terrorist operatives, including senior operatives. However, the number was probably significantly higher, since from the beginning of the Operation Northern Arrows on September 23, 2024,^[7] Hezbollah stopped reporting the names of the dead, which it had done since October 8, 2023, and it only announces the deaths of senior commanders and leaders. The names of 42 dead terrorist operatives were issued between September 17 and 20, 2024, and most of them were most probably killed in the explosions of Hezbollah’s communications devices on September 17 and 18, 2024.^[8] The dead terrorists (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 1-25, 2024):
  • Hussein Ahmed al-Musawi, aka Maytham al-Sayyed, born in 1996, from al-Nabi Chit in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Abbas Anis Ayyoub, aka Ali al-Rida, born in 1988, from Sal’aa in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Qassem al-Sha’er, aka Abu Hawraa’, born in 1977, from Suhmur in the Western Lebanon Valley.
  • Hani Hussein Izz al-Din, aka Isma’il, born in 2001, from Deir Qanoun in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Hassan Abdel Ali, aka Malek, born in 2003, from Aitit in south Lebanon.
  • Sadek Mustafa Mubarak, aka Haidar al-Karar, born in 1993, from Markaba and a resident of Zebdin in south Lebanon.
  • Sajed Muhammad Mustafa, aka Ali Rida, born in 1998, from Mlikh and a resident of Toul in south Lebanon.
  • Abbas Khader Hamadah, aka Jawad Murad, born in 1990, from al-Qmatiyeh in Mount Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Ibrahim Yassin, aka Mujahed, born in 1993, from Houla in south Lebanon.
  • Yusuf Madi Alwah, aka Hadi, born in 1986, from al-Hfair al-Tahta in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hassan Ahmed Muhammad, aka Mustafa, born in 1992. from Jibsheet.
  • Najib Abd al-Hussein Alaa’ al-Din, aka Ali Mazlum, born in 1991, from Majdal Selm in south Lebanon.
  • Hassan Muhammad Yassin, aka Yamen, born in 1986, from Majdal Salem in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein Ahmed Mantash, aka Salah, born in 1994, from Kfarzir in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Zakaria Abbas, aka Haydara, born in 1986, from al-Jiyeh in Mount Lebanon.
  • Abbas Bilal Mun’em, aka Mirza Mahdi, born in 1986, from Suhmur in the Western Lebanon Valley.
  • Muhammad Mahdi Ali Amer, aka Zulfiqar, born in 1985, from Burj al-Barajneh in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut.
  • Hussein Ali Alaa’ al-Din, aka Zakaria, born in 1989, from Majdal Selm in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein Ayoub Faqih, aka Bakr, born in 1988, from Burj al-Shimali in south Lebanon.
  • Abbas Faisal Yassin, aka Abu al-Faisal, born in 1993, from Zoqaq al-Blat in Beirut.
  • Mahdi Abbas Samhat, aka Jawad Ma’atuq, born in 1995, from al- Tayri in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Muhammad Shalabi, aka Bakr, born in 1993, from KafrMalki in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Muhammad Tarhini, aka Haidar, born in 2001, from Ebba in south Lebanon.
  • Mahdi Muslim Jamoul, aka Jawad, born in 1981, from Ghazze in south Lebanon. Abd al-Mun’em Jamal Abd al-Mun’em, aka Malak, 16 years old from Aitaroun in south Lebanon, the youngest Hezbollah operative killed since the beginning of the fighting in October 2023 (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 18, 2024). He is proof of the use Hezbollah makes of children and adolescents, in violation of international law.

• • Fadel Abbas Bazi, aka Abu Abbas, born in 1991, from Bint Jbeil in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Hussein al-Arab, aka Qassem, born in 1979, from Falawi in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hafez Hussein Ali Milhem, aka Abu Saleh, born in 1976, from Qabrikha in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Hassani Zu’aitar, aka Abu Taleb, born in 1999, from Ba’albek in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Ahmed Ali Lama’, aka Rabi’, born in 1982, from Adsheet in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Fawaz al-Hajj Hassan, aka Ali Karar, born in 1991, from Sha’ath in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Jawad Yasser Seif Al-Din, aka Jihad, born in 2005, from Kawthariyah in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Hassan Korani, aka Sajid, born in 1982, from Yater in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Ahmed Haidar, aka Hassan, born in 1986, from Kafrdan in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Muhammad Ali ‘Alamah, aka Ali al-Rida, born in 1993, from Adloun in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Hussein Hamoud, aka Sajed, born in 1991, from Toulin in south Lebanon.
  • Abbas Hassan Seif Al-Din, aka Abu Yasser, born in 1987, from Halbata in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hassan Adel Jaber, aka Abu Ali Sarraj, born in 1970, from Bani Hayyan in south Lebanon.
  • Salim Abbas Shadadi, aka Seif Ali, born in 1974, from Ma’roub in south Lebanon.
  • Ahmed Hassan, aka Malak, born in 1998, from Aitaroun in south Lebanon and a resident of the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia.
  • Ali Muhammad Suleiman Samhat, aka Kazem, born in 1994, from Ainata in south Lebanon.
  • Nazir Yusuf Nun, aka Jaber, born in 1971, from al-Ram in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Fadlallah Shehadah Mshik, aka Adam, born in 1970, from Mazra’at Beit Mshik in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hussein Ali Amhaz, aka Kifah, born in 1971, from Nabha in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Bassam Hussein Fatouni, aka Alaa, born in 1975, from Khirbat Selem in south Lebanon.
  • Jaafar Ahmed al-Hussein, aka Mujahed, born in 1989, from Suhmur in the Western Lebanon Valley.
  • Yusuf Muhammad al-Sayyed, aka Ninawa, born in 2003, from Beit Lif in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Ali Hassan al-Zein, aka Rida, born in 1996, from Qabriha in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein Hassan Faqih, aka Sajed, born in 1996, from Rabb Thallatheen in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Subhi Mansour, aka Karbala, born in 1985, from al-Taybe in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein Ali Ghandour, aka Nidal, born in 1962, from al-Nabatieh al-Fawqa in south Lebanon.
  • Mahmoud Yassin Hamed, aka Fajar, born in 1977, from al-Nabatieh al-Tahta south Lebanon.
  • Samer Abd al-Halim Halawi, aka Hamza al-Gharbiya, born in 1980, from Qa’qa’iyet al-Jisr in south Lebanon.
  • Hassan Hussein Madi, aka Abu Hadi Maidoun, born in 1980, from Midoun in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Muhammad Ahmed Rida, aka Abu Ali Ninawa, born in 1986, from Anqoun in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Qassem al-Attar, aka Abu Yasser al-Attar, born in 1973, from al-Sharbin in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Ahmed Samir Deeb, aka Jihad, born in 1991, from Meiss a-Jabal in south Lebanon.
  • Abdullah Abbas Hijazi, aka Bilal, born in 1987, in Haour Ta’la in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Aaref Ahmed al-Riz, aka Siraj, born in 1980, from Beirut.
  • Hassan Ali Hussein, aka Abu Sajed, born in 1975, from KafrMalki in south Lebanon.
  • Abbas Sami Muselmani, aka Siraj Ali, born in 1985, from al-Jebbayn in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein Ahmed Hadraj, aka Siraj, born in 1984, from al-Ghassaniyah in south Lebanon.
  • Hassan Yusuf Abd al-Sater, aka Baqer, born in 1988, from Ii’aat in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Mehdi Muslam Jamoul, aka Jawad, born in 1981, from Ghazze in south Lebanon.
  • Jihad Shafiq Khaz’al Khanafer, aka Zuheir, born in 1970, from Aynatha in south Lebanon.
  • Abbas Mahmoud Saleh, aka Abu Hawraa, born in 1978, from ‘Adsheet in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad al-Jawad Hussein Obeid, aka Kamil Hijazi, born in 1995, from al-Ansar in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Ali Muhammad Banjak, aka Ali al-Rida, born in 1992, from al-Sha’itiyeh in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Ali Zreiq, aka Baqer, born in 1985, from al-Ma’laqah in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Mahmoud Hussein Sa’ad, aka Baqer, born in 1963, from Adloun in south Lebanon.
  • Hussein As’ad Amhaz, aka Abdallah, born in 1973, from Moqraq in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hussein Hani Izz al-Din, aka al-Hajj Fares, born in 1972, from Deir Qanoun al-Nahar in south Lebanon.
  • Muhammad Hussein Ali al-Rabah, aka Amar, born in 1990, from name in the Lebanon Valley.
  • Hussein Ahmed ‘Awali, aka Maitham, born in 1974, from Burj al-Barajneh in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut.
  • Abbas Ibrahim Sharaf al-Din, aka al-Sayyed Jamal, born in 1977, from KafrTebnit in south Lebanon.
  • Ali Hassan Hamoud, aka Abba Dharr, was born in 1990, from the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia in Beirut.
• During September 2024 the IDF carried out targeted attacks on Hezbollah’s military upper echelon with airstrikes in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia, the southern suburb of Beirut (IDF spokesperson, September 20 to 29, 2024; Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 20 to 30, 2024):
  • Ibrahim Aqil, head of operations and the commander of Hezbollah’s Radwan force, was killed on September 20, 2024, while holding a meeting of Radwan Force commanders at an underground site in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. In addition to Aqil, at least 15 other Hezbollah terrorist operatives were killed in the attack, including senior commanders in the Radwan Force’s chain of command (IDF spokesperson, September 20-21, 2024).^[9] Hezbollah announced the death of Ibrahim Muhammad Aqil, aka al-Hajj Abd al-Qader, born 1962, from Bednayel in the Beqa’a Valley. The announcement called him “the great jihadi commander,” the highest title given to one of Hezbollah’s dead since the beginning of the current conflict on October 8, 2023. Hezbollah called him “one of [its] greatest leaders,” claiming that “Jerusalem was always in his heart, in his mind and in his thoughts day and night” (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 21, 2024). Hezbollah also announced the death of Ahmed Mahmoud Wahhabi, aka al-Hajj Abu Hussein Samir, born in 1964 in the town of Adwan in south Lebanon and a resident of Ba’albek in the Lebanon Valley. Wahhabi, who received the title “shaheed commander,” was the commander of the Radwan Force’s training unit and before that he became the Radwan Force’s acting commander (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 20 and 21, 2024).

   
Right: Commanders of the Radwan Force eliminated in an attack in Beirut (IDF spokesperson, September 21, 2024). Left: Mourning notice issued by Hezbollah for Ibrahim Aqil (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 20, 2024)

• • Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi, head of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket array, was killed on September 24, 2024, along with other senior commanders in the array in an attack in Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. Qubaisi was responsible for firing the rockets deep into the Israeli territory before and during the war and was close to the top military leadership of Hezbollah.

• • Muhammad Hussein Srour, commander of Hezbollah’s aerial unit, was killed on September 26, 2024 in an airstrike on the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. He was responsible for attacks on Israel using drones, cruise missiles and UAVs, and in addition led projects for the production of UAVs in Lebanon. In the past he commanded a surface-to-air missile unit, commanded a unit in the Radwan Force and was Hezbollah’s representative to the Houthis in Yemen regarding their aerial array. Hezbollah announced the death of Muhammad Hussein Srour, aka Abu Saleh, “the shaheed commander,” who was born in 1973 in Aita al-Sha’ab in south Lebanon. Beginning in 2020, he commanded Hezbollah’s aerial unit and led the airstrikes during Operation al-Aqsa Flood (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 27, 2024).

• • Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, was killed on September 27, 2024, in an attack on the organization’s central headquarters, situated under a residential building in the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia, where the Hezbollah leadership was meeting to coordinate terrorist activities against Israel (IDF spokesperson, September 28, 2024).^[10] Hezbollah announced the death of Hassan Nasrallah, calling him the “master of the resistance,” the highest title given a Hezbollah casualty since the beginning of the current conflict on October 8, 2023. The announcement called him a “great martyr” and “a shaheed on the way to Jerusalem and Palestine” adding that he was a “brave, wise, clever leader who joined the martyrs’ convoy from Karbalaa,” was “one of its greatest leaders.” According to the announcement, his leadership ensured Hezbollah would continue the jihad in support of Gaza and in “the defense of Lebanon.” Unlike Hezbollah deaths in the current fighting, a poster for billboards with Nasrallah’s picture was not issued (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 28, 2024).

• • Ali Karki, commander of the “southern front” [the Israeli border], was killed on September 27, 2024, in the same attack that killed Nasrallah (IDF spokesperson, September 28, 2024). Hezbollah confirmed the death of Ali Abd al- Karki, aka al-Hajj Abu al-Fadel, who was given the epithet, “commander of the great jihad.” He was born in 1962 in the town of Ein Bouswar in south Lebanon. According to the announcement, he had commanded the “southern front” since 1996, had also been a member of the Shura Council and the Jihad Council since their establishment, and had been Nasrallah’s assistant for “jihad affairs” since 2008 (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 29-30, 2024).

• • Hassan Khalil Yassin, a senior member of Hezbollah intelligence headquarters, was killed on September 28, 2024, in an attack on the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. According to reports, he was responsible for marking military and civilian targets in Israeli territory for Hezbollah attacks and worked closely with the organization’s rocket and missile launching units.
  • Nabil Qaouq, head of Hezbollah’s preventive security unit, was killed on September 29, 2024 in an attack on the Dahiyeh al-Janoubia. He joined Hezbollah in the 1980s and was previously responsible for terrorist activity in south Lebanon, was a member of Hezbollah’s Central Council and of the Jihad Council, and a prominent Hezbollah spokesman. Hezbollah confirmed the death of Sheikh Nabil Yihya Qaouk, aka al-Sheikh Nabil, who was born in 1964 in the town of Ebba in south Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, he was head of Hezbollah’s preventive security unit (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 29-30, 2024).

   
Right: Nabil Qaouq’s “ID card” (IDF spokesperson, September 29, 2024). Left: Mourning notice issued by Hezbollah for Nabil Qaouq (Hezbollah combat information Telegram channel, September 30, 2024)

Casualties from other terrorist organizations

Amal

•  During September 2024 the Amal Movement announced the death of at least 54 movement operatives, including medics and terrorist operatives in the Amal scout movement, who were killed in IDF strikes, most of them after the start of the offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon on September 23, 2024. Thirteen were designated “jihad combatants,” killed while performing their national duty and the jihad in “defense of Lebanon” and the south (Amal Movement Telegram channel, September 7-30, 2024).

Hamas

• Hamas announced that Fatah Amin Sharif, the commander of the Hamas movement in Lebanon and a member of the Hamas “external” leadership, was killed along with members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on his home in the al-Bass refugee camp in south Lebanon on September 30, 2024. Hamas called it a “terrorist assassination operation,” praised his work and offered condolences on his death (Hamas Telegram channel, September 30, 2024). The IDF spokesperson confirmed that Fatah Sharif, who was the head of Hamas’ Lebanese arena, was killed in an Israeli Air Force attack. According to the announcement, Sharif coordinated the activities of Hamas from Lebanon with Hezbollah and was responsible for recruiting operatives and purchasing weapons (IDF spokesperson, September 30, 2024).

• The Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, announced the death of “field commander” Hussein Mahmoud al-Nader, from Marjayoun in south Lebanon, who was killed in an Israeli attack on September 23, 2024 (Hamas in Judea and Samaria Telegram channel, September 24, 2024). Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyyah, the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, also announced the death of Hussein al-Nader (al-Manara lili’lam X account, September 24, 2024).

Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyyah

• Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyyah announced that Muhammad Dahrouj, aka Abu Omar, “the jihad commander, was killed in a barbaric and cruel bombing of his home in Jeb Jenin in the Lebanon Valley” on the morning of September 29, 2024 (al-Jama’a al-Islamiyya X account, September 29, 2024).

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)

•  The PIJ’s military wing announced that five members of the organization’s branch in Syria were killed while performing their “combat duty” in south Lebanon (PIJ combat information Telegram channel, September 17 and 24, 2024). They were Muhammad Abd Allah al-Abd Allah, 25 years old ; Samir Mustafa Diab, 31 years old; Firas Ayman Shihabi, 31 years old; Hussein Musa Balawni, 33 years old; Moayad Ahmed Muhammad, 26 years old.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)

 The Abu Ali Mustafa Battalions, the PFLP’s military wing, announced the deaths of two battalion commanders and an operative, who were killed in an Israeli attack on Beirut. They were commander Muhammad Abd al-‘Aal, aka Abu Ghazi, who was a member of the PFLP’s political bureau and in charge of the military-security department; commander Imad ‘Oudeh, aka Abu Ziyad, a member of the PIJ’s General Central Committee, a member of its military department and military headquarters in Lebanon; and a terrorist operative (called the “fighter”) Abd al-Rahman Abd al-‘Aal (Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades Telegram channel, September 30, 2024).

Fatah

• Fatah announced that Dr. Radwan Abdallah was killed in an attack in Ein al-Delb, east of Sidon, on September 29, 2024. According to reports, he was a member of the central monitoring committee for Fatah’s mobilization and organization in the Lebanon region (Fatah in Lebanon, website September 29, 2024).

Shiite militias

Operations against Israel

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq

• In September 2024, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued 31 statements claiming responsibility for attacks against more than 34 targets in Israeli territory using drones and cruise missiles. Most of the attacks took place starting September 22, 2024, amid the escalation in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, with six claims of responsibility issued on September 28, 2024, following the killing of Hezbollah secretary-general Nasrallah, the highest daily number since the start of the war on October 7, 2023. The following are details of the attacks (Islamic Resistance in Iraq Telegram channel, September 1-30, 2024). There has been no verification of the claims about the attacks, except in cases where the IDF Spokesperson confirmed that interceptions had taken place:
  • September 4 – Haifa Port using drones.
  • September 15 – Target in Haifa using drones.
  • September 16 – Target in the Jordan Valley using drones.
  • September 17 – Target in Haifa using drones. According to the IDF Spokesperson, Israeli Air Force fighter jets intercepted a drone that was launched from Iraq and penetrated Israel in the Sea of Galilee area. There were no casualties (IDF Spokesperson, September 18, 2024).
  • September 18 – Target in Haifa using drones.
  • September 22 – “Vital” target in the “occupied territories” (Jordan Valley) using drones. According to the IDF Spokesperson, a suspicious aerial target penetrating from the east was intercepted.
  • September 22 – Targets in northern Israel using “advanced” al-Arqab cruise missiles. The IDF Spokesperson said suspicious aerial targets were intercepted as they approached the southern Golan Heights (IDF Spokesperson, September 22, 2024).

• • September 22 – Targets in southern Israel using drones. According to the IDF Spokesperson, a suspicious aerial target launched from Iraq was intercepted and did not cross into Israeli territory (IDF Spokesperson, September 22, 2024).
  • September 22 – Military base in the northern Jordan Valley using drones. The IDF Spokesperson reported that a suspicious aerial target crossing from the east was intercepted (IDF Spokesperson, September 22, 2024).
  • September 22 – Target in the Jordan Valley using al-Arfad drones.
  • September 23 – Golani Brigade observation base using drones.
  • Launching a drone at a military target in the Golan Heights (Islamic Resistance in Iraq Telegram channel).

• • September 24 – Target in the Golan Heights using al-Arfad drones.
  • September 25 – Target in the Jordan Valley (intelligence base) using drones. A drone reportedly hit an empty building in the central Arava, with no casualties (IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media, September 25, 2024).
  • September 25 – “Vital” target in northern Israel using an al-Arqab cruise missile.

• • September 25 – “Military” target in northern Israel using drones.
  • September 25 – Target in the Golan Heights using drones.
  • September 25 – “Vital” target in Eilat using drones. The IDF Spokesperson announced that two drones had been identified coming from the east towards Eilat and that a missile ship had intercepted one of them. Another drone hit the port of Eilat. Two people were wounded (IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media, September 25, 2024).
  • September 27 – Target in the Golan Heights using drones.
  • September 27 – “Vital” target in Israel using an al-Arqab cruise missile.
  • September 27 – Target in the Golan Heights using drones.
  • September 28 – “Vital” target in southern Israel using drones.
  • September 28 – “Military” target in northern Israel using drones.
  • September 28 – “Vital” target (Kiryat Shmona) in northern Israel using drones.
  • September 28 – “Vital” target in the Golan Heights using drones.
  • September 28 – “Vital” target in Tel Aviv using drones.
  • September 28 – “Vital” target in Eilat using drones.
  • September 29 – “Vital” target in Eilat using drones. According to the IDF Spokesperson, a missile ship intercepted a drone over the Red Sea, outside the territory of the country (September 29, 2024).
  • September 29 – “Vital” target in Eilat using drones. According to the IDF Spokesperson, a missile ship intercepted a drone over the Red Sea, outside the territory of the country (September 29, 2024).
  • September 29 – Two separate targets in Israel using a swarm of drones.
  • September 29 – Two separate targets in Israel using missiles.
  • September 30 – Four separate attacks: a “vital” target using al-Arqab cruise missiles; a “vital” target using drones; a “vital” target in Haifa Port using drones; A “vital” target in central Israel using drones.

The Houthis

• In September 2024, the Houthis claimed responsibility for four attacks against Israel, three of them with surface-to-surface missiles. The following are the details:
• September 15 – A Filastin 2 (Palestine 2) surface-to-surface missile was launched against a “military target” in the Jaffa area. Interceptors of the Israeli air defense systems were launched at the missile, and it exploded in mid-air. There were no casualties. Damage was caused.

• • September 27 – A Filastin 2 surface-to-surface missile was launched at a “military target” in the Tel Aviv area, and a Jaffa drone was launched at a target in the Ashkelon area. The Arrow air defense system intercepted a surface-to-surface missile outside the country’s borders. There were no casualties. There has been no verification of the drone’s launch.
  • September 28 – A Filastin 2 surface-to-surface missile was launched at Ben-Gurion Airport when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plane was landing. Air defense fighters intercepted the missile outside Israel’s borders. There were no casualties.
• On the afternoon of September 29, 2024, dozens of Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked military-use targets of the Houthi regime in Ras Issa and al-Hudaydah, in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. According to the IDF Spokesperson, power plants and a seaport used to import oil and transfer weapons from Iran for military purposes were attacked. According to the announcement, the attack was carried out in response to recent Houthi attacks against the State of Israel. The Houthis reported five fatalities.

Houthi attacks in the Red Sea area

• During September 2024, the Houthis claimed responsibility for two attacks against vessels. The following are the details:
  • September 2: Attack on the ship Blue Lagoon 1 in the Red Sea using several missiles and drones. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed the attack. No casualties were reported.
  • September 27: A combined attack against three American warships in the Red Sea using 23 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. US Department of Defense spokeswoman Sabrina Singh confirmed that a “complex attack” involving cruise missiles and drones had been carried out, but noted that they were intercepted or fell and that there were no hits to the US vessels.

Global Jihad

• An editorial in issue 462 of ISIS’s weekly al-Naba dealt with the confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah. According to the article, titled “The Bitter Course and the Bitter Fate,” the campaign between Israel and the “Shiite axis” in collaboration with the Muslim Brotherhood (i.e., the “axis of resistance”) may “cleanse” the region of the presence of Iran and its allies. According to the author, this conflict serves the “real” Muslims (i.e., ISIS operatives) and constitutes a “bright spot” for them, for when this conflict is over, Muslims will be able to rise up and confront Israel directly. In addition, the writer expresses joy at the damage caused to the Muslim Brotherhood, a rival organization to ISIS (al-Naba, September 26, 2024).
• The article also includes a picture showing the Israeli flag on one side, while pictures of Hezbollah commanders killed in the current campaign are on the other side, with the caption “On the way to hell.” In addition, the Iranian flag and Hamas emblem are partially displayed. Flames are visible between the sides, and the message is that all those involved are bringing themselves to the brink of extinction in a way that may benefit the “Muslims.”
• At the end of the article, the writer resumes the call for killing Jews everywhere as part of “groups” (i.e., terrorist networks or squads) or as “lone wolves.” At the same time, he also calls for the killing of Shiites (“the rejectionists”), noting that the organization’s way to Jerusalem will involve fighting the Shiites and their axis.

 

^[1] Click https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/en to subscribe and receive the ITIC's daily updates as well as its other publications.
^[2] A critical attack was defined by the ITIC as involving shooting, stabbing, a vehicular attack, the use of IEDs, or a combination of the above. Rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown by Palestinians were not included. Shots fired at IDF forces during counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria were included.
^[3] For further information, see the September 2024 ITIC report, "Escalation and Thwarting of Terrorism in Northern Samaria"
^[4] Fadi-1 is a 220 mm rocket with a range of 70 kilometers (about 44 miles) and carries an 83 kilogram (183 pound) warhead. It can be launched from stationary or mobile launchers and was designed to hit supply lines and bases far from the conflict lines. Fadi-2 is a 302 mm rocket with a range of 100 km (60 miles) and carries a warhead weighing 170 kg (385 lb). It was designed to hit fortified targets, infrastructure and concentrations of forces.
^[5] Qader-1 is a tactical surface-to-surface missile weighing 2,870 kg (1364 lb) with a range of 190 km (118 miles) and carrying a warhead weighing 500 kg (1100 lb).
^[6] Nur is an Iranian cruise missile designed to attack vessels and is based on Chinese C801 and C802 coastal missiles. It has a range of 170 km (106 miles) and carries a warhead weighing 165 kg (364 pounds).
^[7] For further information, see the September 2024 ITIC report, "Operation Northern Arrows: Reactions in Lebanon and Insights."
^[8] For further information, see the September 2024 ITIC report, "Hezbollah Communications Devices Explode."
^[9] For further information, see the September 2024 ITIC report, "Reactions to the Elimination of Ibrahim Aqil and the Top Command of the Radwan Force."
^[10] For further information, see the ITIC report, "Israeli Attack in Beirut Eliminates Hassan Nasrallah."

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