509 IDF soldiers have lost their lives conquering and securing the area – only to have Israel surrender it again and again to the Hezbollah terror organization.
By Hezy Laing
The current IDF incursion into South Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah missile attacks is not the first or even the second time Israel has entered the area.
In fact, it’s the sixth time the IDF has needed to go into the area to prevent missile and terror attacks on Israeli territory in the past 20 years.
These repeated campaigns have taken a terrible toll.
509 IDF soldiers have lost their lives reconquering and securing the area – only to have Israel surrender it again to the Hezbollah terror organization.
Already in the current campaign – two IDF soldiers have been killed and several seriously injured.
Previous IDF Ground Entries Into Southern Lebanon
2006 – Second Lebanese War
Duration: ~34 days
Type: Full-scale invasion
Notes: Major maneuver brigades entered southern Lebanon.
Fighting in Bint Jbeil, Maroun al‑Ras, Aita al‑Shaab, Wadi Saluki.
2018–2019 – Operation Northern Shield
Duration: ~6 weeks
Type: Engineering + special forces
Notes: Exposed and neutralized Hezbollah cross‑border tunnels.
2020–2021 – Multi‑week cross‑border raids
Duration: Several multi‑week periods
Type: Raids and engineering incursions
Details: The operation targeted Hezbollah observation posts and infrastructure.
2024 – Ground Operation in Southern Lebanon
Duration: Multi‑week (Sept–Oct 2024)
Type: Large-scale ground maneuver
Details: The operation was aimed at pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani river. Division 98 and other brigades operated in multiple villages.
2025 – Iron Swords Campaign
Duration: Multi‑week periods
Type: Raids + limited incursions
Details: 2025 saw sustained cross‑border activity as part of the ongoing conflict environment. It included multi‑week IDF operations targeting: Hezbollah launch sites, border‑adjacent military infrastructure, observation posts
Analysts point to several factors driving this sixth major incursion:
The most prominent is the renewed Hezbollah missile attacks on Israel.
Second is the failure of the international buffer zones.
Since 2006, the UN-monitored buffer zone failed to prevent Hezbollah from building massive underground infrastructure.
The IDF is currently clearing the same villages (such as Maroun al-Ras and Bint Jbeil) occupied in 1978, 1982, and 2006 because Hezbollah consistently re-militarizes them the moment Israeli boots leave the ground.
Each time the IDF enters, it faces more sophisticated weaponry.
Military analysts argue that these incursions repeat because there is rarely a diplomatic “exit ramp” that guarantees Lebanese state control over the south.
Without a capable Lebanese Army to hold the territory, the IDF finds itself in a cycle of invading, withdrawing, and returning years later when the threat regenerates.
Israel originally created a Security Zone in South Lebanon following the 1982 Lebanon War, to serve as a physical buffer between Lebanese-based PLO terrorists and Israeli border towns.
The primary goal was to push artillery and terrorist forces beyond the range of Northern Galilee, preventing Katyusha rocket fire and cross-border infiltrations.
This ten-mile-wide strip was held by the IDF and the South Lebanon Army (SLA) until 2000.
Since former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s unilateral withdrawal in May 2000, the IDF has been forced to repeatedly return to these areas.
This repetitive “yo-yo” warfare has led to significant debate regarding the heavy cost in human life, with critics pointing to the hundreds of IDF soldiers killed in these recurring efforts to neutralize Hezbollah infrastructure that inevitably regenerates once Israeli forces retreat.
