16 November 2024

Q&A: Behind the data on the Israel-Hezbollah war

Dr. Ameneh Mehvar

What is the scale of Israel’s bombardment on Lebanon?

In the past few weeks, from 16 September to our last data cutoff on 25 October, we have recorded over 3,250 Israeli airstrike events in Lebanon. To put this in perspective, our data for the Middle East dating back to 2017 shows that the number of airstrike events in Lebanon during both September and October was higher than in any other month we’ve recorded in the region (see graph below).1 This includes the number of airstrike events in Syria in April 2017, which included US-led coalition forces’ air campaign against the Islamic State.

How do these airstrikes differ from those Israel has carried out in Gaza?

The number of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) airstrikes we recorded in Lebanon in September and October both far surpass the number recorded in Gaza for any single month over the past year. However, airstrikes in Gaza have been more lethal on a per-month basis, given its small size, high population density, and the challenges civilians have faced in evacuating combat zones. So far, despite the very intense airstrikes in some parts of Lebanon, Israel does not appear to have engaged in a carpet bombing of Lebanon similar to that in Gaza.

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