Levant in April 2026: the most important developments in security
In April 2026, the security situation in the Levant was dominated by Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon. On 8 April, after a US-Iran ceasefire was announced, Israel launched major air strikes across Lebanon, including central Beirut, with about 100 strikes in ten minutes. Between 182 and 254 people were reported killed within a day, and Lebanon held a national day of mourning. On 11 April Israel struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in 24 hours, its largest strikes of the conflict. Israeli ground forces, including the 98th Division, expanded operations in the south and fought in Bint Jbeil, while Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into northern Israel. An Israeli strike cut the last bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country on 16 April. A US-backed 10-day ceasefire took effect on 17 April and was later extended. Israel said it would keep control of captured positions, marked a 'yellow line' in the south and warned residents of more than 50 villages to stay away. Both sides accused each other of violations. By 28 April Lebanon reported 2,534 dead since early March.
UN peacekeepers came under fire. A French peacekeeper was killed on 18 April, and Macron blamed Hezbollah. A second French peacekeeper died on 22 April after an ambush blamed on Hezbollah. UNIFIL said an Israeli tank rammed its vehicles, and an Indonesian peacekeeper died of wounds. The UN chief condemned the killings. Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil was killed in an Israeli strike on 23 April, and Lebanese leaders called it a war crime.
The war reached beyond Lebanon. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz to tanker traffic on 8 April in response to the strikes on Lebanon, and Iran and Hezbollah launched joint attacks on Israel earlier in the month. In Syria, authorities arrested people over the attack on the UAE embassy in Damascus and said they foiled a Hezbollah-linked plot to kill a rabbi. Israeli forces moved into Syria's Quneitra region, and Syria took over former US bases including Qasrak Air Base. Two Israeli soldiers were jailed for smashing a statue of Jesus in southern Lebanon.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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