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Battle of Haddatha

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Battle of Haddatha
Part of 2026 Lebanon War and 2026 Iran War
Date19 May 2026 – 21 May 2026[a][1] (3 Days)
Location
Haddatha, Lebanon
Result

Hezbollah victory

  • Incursion repealed by Hezbollah, leading to withdrawal.[b]
Commanders and leaders
Meir Biderman (WIA)
Units involved
Casualties and losses
4 wounded operatives

The Battle of Haddatha was a battle[2] between Israel and Hezbollah that started on 19 May 2026 during the 2026 Lebanon War in the village of Haddatha. The battle occurred during the 2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire and was notable for taking place in a village located beyond the "yellow line" established by Israel earlier in the conflict.

Significance

The Institute for the Study of War noted how the battle was the "first prolonged engagement between the IDF and Hezbollah since the ceasefire began".[3]

L'Orient–Le Jour argued that the Israeli Defense Forces wanted to secure the village of Haddatha to pave the way toward an offensive on Tyre.[4]

Background

Start of hostilities

At the start of the 2026 Iran war, U.S. and Israeli strikes killed Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Following Iranian confirmation of Khamenei's death on 1 March, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem vowed to retaliate and "undertake our duty of confronting the aggression", stating that Hezbollah would not leave "the field of honour and resistance".[5]

On 2 March, Hezbollah launched several projectiles into northern Israel, its first such attack since the 2024 ceasefire, targeting a missile defence site near Haifa. The group described the attack as a "defensive act" aimed at forcing Israel to halt its operations in Lebanon and withdraw from occupied areas, stating it was unrelated to the Iran war.[6]

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said one projectile was intercepted while others landed in open areas.[7] In response, Israel carried out overnight airstrikes in Beirut and across southern Lebanon, killing hundreds of civilians and issuing evacuation orders for dozens of communities.[8][9] The IDF claimed the strikes targeted senior Hezbollah figures and infrastructure; it later reported killing Hezbollah intelligence chief Hussain Makled, while early reports suggested other senior leaders may also have been targeted.[10]

Iran war ceasefire and Lebanon war ceasefire

Pakistan mediated the 2026 Iran war ceasefire and said Lebanon was included in the ceasefire, temporarily halting the 2026 Iran war for two weeks. Shortly after, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that was the case alongside U.S. President Donald Trump.[11][12] On the contrary Pakistan and Iran insisted that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire alongside other nations such as France and Egypt.[13][14]

Israel soon after initiated Operation Eternal Darkness and struck various sites in Lebanon in what were defined as the largest attacks since the start of the entire war.[15][16] What followed was "Operation Silver Plow", which was announced by Israel Katz and led to the occupation of various villages in Southern Lebanon and the Battle of Bint Jbeil.[17]

Following the 2026 Israel–Lebanon ceasefire, Israeli demolitions and military operations still persisted, with both sides insisting that there was objectively no ceasefire.[18][19][20] Additionally, following the ceasefire, Israel declared the creation of a "Yellow Line" in Southern Lebanon akin to that in Gaza.[21] The "yellow line" however did not include the village of Haddatha.[2][22]

Battle

19 May

The very first report of the IDF attempt to advance toward the village of Haddatha was recorded. According to the report the Israeli Defense Forces attempted to reach the town's square with the use of medium weapons and rockets, coming into direct confrontation with Hezbollah militants starting from 10:15 p.m local time.[22][23]

20 May

Clashes that had started the prior day between Hezbollah militias and IDF continued, with Israel allegedly pursuing the use of unidentified fighter jets, drones, concentrated artillery shelling, explosives, bulldozers and engineering vehicles in order to destroy the town's defenses and also reach the main square of the village.[22][24] Hezbollah claimed that Israel had sent numerous "rescue teams" as to retrieve their soldiers from the battleground and also operatives as to locate and dismantle military infrastructures allegedly used by the Radwan Forces. Following the clashes Hezbollah claimed that they had inflicted casualties, including the destruction of four Merkava tanks, forcing the IDF to retreat to the nearby town of Rashaf which they had occupied.[22][25][26] Following Hezbollah's counterstrikes in the nearby villages and towns, the commander of the 401st Brigade, Meir Biderman, a photographer from the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, a soldier from the 601st Battalion and another official were wounded whilst on duty in the nearby town of Debel and in the area of the village itself.[2][26][27]

At 16:50 local time, Hezbollah claimed to have used drones to struck a gathering of Israeli army vehicles and soldiers in the village.[28]

21 May

In response to the alleged attempted Israeli advances, Hezbollah targeted Israeli positions in the occupied towns of Debel and Rashaf between midnight and 2 a.m. (local time), using successive waves of rockets and suicide drones against local patrols and positions.[2][23] Israeli strikes during the night resulted in the death of four members of the Islamic Health Authority and the injury of another two members.[29]

On the same day Abu Ali Express, an outlet tied to the IDF, stated that "Hezbollah also admitted today (21 May) for the first time that IDF forces [were] right inside the village of Hadatha and not just on its outskirts or at the entrance to it".[30] In the early hours Hezbollah alleged to have struck a gathering of Israeli vehicles and soldiers stationed within Haddatha.[31]

The Institute for the Study of War stated that the “prolonged confrontation” ended on the same day.[32] In contrast, the Israeli Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center described the confrontation as part of a broader propaganda effort.[33]

Notes

  1. ^ Last recorded military action in the area
  2. ^ The Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute contests that the "battle" is just a "propaganda effort" by Hezbollah.

Bibliography

  1. ^ ISW Iran Update Special Report, May 25 2026
  2. ^ a b c d "Battle of Haddatha continues as relative calm returns to other parts of southern Lebanon". L'Orient Today. 2026-05-21. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  3. ^ Sleiman, Nadia (2026-05-20). "Iran Update Special Report, May 20, 2026". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  4. ^ Krotoff, Tatiana (22 May 2026). "Israeli army targets Haddatha, with Sour in its sights". L'Orient–Le Jour. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  5. ^ "Live updates: Trump says Iran operation could take "four weeks or less," 3 U.S. troops killed". CBS News. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  6. ^ "Hezbollah leader: Resumed fighting with Israel not linked to war on Iran". United Press International. 5 March 2026.
  7. ^ Lehmann, Noam (2 March 2026). "Hezbollah confirms it fired rockets at Israel as 'revenge' for Khamenei". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on 2 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  8. ^ affairs, -Dan Sagalyn Dan Sagalyn As the deputy senior producer for foreign; NewsHour, defense at the PBS; oversee, Dan plays a key role in helping; Affairs, Produce the Program’s Foreign; issues, defense stories His pieces have broken new ground on an array of military (2026-05-05). "Families in Lebanon still search rubble for loved ones killed in a day of Israeli strikes". PBS News. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  9. ^ "Israel kills 31 in Beirut strike following Hezbollah rocket attack". Al Jazeera. 2 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Israel issues dozen evacuation orders to residents of Burj al-Barajneh, Bekaa and the South; threatens strikes on al-Qard al-Hassan: LIVE". L'Orient Today. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Trump says Lebanon not included in US-Iran ceasefire amid Israeli assault". Al Jazeera. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  12. ^ Ellyatt, Holly (8 April 2026). "Lebanon's economy minister seeks clarity on ceasefire 'mixed signals' as Israeli strikes continue". CNBC. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  13. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer (2026-04-10). "Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
  14. ^ April 2026, Naharnet Newsdesk 08. "Pakistan, France and Egypt say ceasefire 'includes Lebanon'". Naharnet.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Israel pounds Lebanon with heaviest airstrikes of the war as Hezbollah pauses attacks". Reuters. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  16. ^ Krisi, Ron (8 April 2026). "IDF: We launched Operation 'Eternal Darkness' in Lebanon; working assumption – fighting with Iran will resume". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
  17. ^ לנדוי, מנדי (2026-04-12). "שר הביטחון בלבנון: חשיפת שם המבצע "מחרשת הכסף" ותיאור רגעיו האחרונים של נסראללה". JDN (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2026-04-12.
  18. ^ Fabian, Emanuel; Berman, Lazar; Staff, ToI; Agencies (2026-04-29). "IDF chief says there's 'no ceasefire' in south Lebanon amid continued fighting with Hezbollah". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  19. ^ Diamond, Rosemary Church, Jeremy (2026-05-06). 'There is no ceasefire in Lebanon,' Hezbollah chief says | CNN. Retrieved 2026-05-13 – via CNN.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^ "Amid ceasefire, Israeli forces ramp up destruction of homes in southern Lebanon". NBC News. 2026-05-13. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  21. ^ Magee, Caolán. "Does Israel's 'Yellow Line' violate the Lebanon ceasefire?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2026-05-13.
  22. ^ a b c d "Clashes between Hezbollah, Israeli army north of Bint Jbeil and 'buffer zone'". L'Orient Today. 2026-05-20. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  23. ^ a b "Clashes ongoing near Haddatha amid relative calm". Naharnet. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  24. ^ "Lebanon says 21 killed, including children, in Israeli air strikes". BBC. 2026-05-20. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  25. ^ Levaton, Stav (2026-05-23). "Soldier killed in northern Israel by Hezbollah drone from Lebanon". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  26. ^ a b Levaton, Stav (2026-05-23). "WATCH: IDF posts first-person footage by soldier injured in Hezbollah drone attack". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
  27. ^ "Details shock the occupation regarding the injury of the Israeli armored brigade commander, another officer, and a soldier in Dibil". dearborn.org. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  28. ^ "حزب الله في بيان: استهدفنا عند الساعة 16:50 أمس تجمعًا لآليات وجنود الجيش الإسرائيلي في بلدة حداثا بسرب من المسيّرات الانقضاضية". Lebanon Debate - ليبانون ديبايت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  29. ^ للإعلام, الوكالة الوطنية (2026-05-22). "4 شهداء وجريحان في غارة معادية ليلا على نقطة تمركز لـ "الهيئة الصحية الاسلامية" في حناويه". الوكالة الوطنية للإعلام (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  30. ^ האתר, אדמין (2026-05-21). "עוד הודה היום לראשונה חזבאללה כי כוחות צה"ל נמצאים ממש בתוך הכפר חדאת'א ולא רק בפאתיו או בכניסה אליו - כלומר חזבאללה מודה שנכשל בהדיפת המתקפה של צה"ל על הכפר". אבו עלי אקספרס (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  31. ^ admin (2026-05-21). "LIVE BLOG: Iran Rejects Pressure as Gaza Demolitions, Lebanon Strikes Continue - Day 83". Palestine Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2026-05-22. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  32. ^ Sleiman, Nadia (2026-05-25). "Iran Update Special Report, May 25, 2026". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  33. ^ "Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (May 18-25, 2026)". The Amit Terrorism and Intelligence Research Institute. 26 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
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