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(noun) armed struggle between countries or groups
In the Middle East, 2024 will go down in history as one of the most destructive years in modern history. Tens of thousands have been killed and millions forced from their homes. An unimaginable number of lives have been destroyed.
The carnage began in late 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostages. Since then, the guns have rarely been silent.
Israel retaliated with a thunderous offensive in Hamas-controlled Gaza that has killed more than 44,000 people and reduced the besieged strip to a wasteland.
After October 7, the militant movement Hezbollah began shooting at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, while another front opened on the Israel-Lebanon border. Allied militants backed by Iran, including Houthi rebels in Yemen and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria, have also launched missiles, rockets and drones at Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli forces and Jewish settlers intensified their attacks and raids in the occupied West Bank.
As the conflict continued to escalate, Iran and Israel exchanged direct fire for the first time in April. They repeated the act in October, with greater ferocity.
A month earlier, Israel had intensified its offensive against Hezbollah. He assassinated leader Hassan Nasrallah, launched airstrikes across Lebanon, and invaded the south of the country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that he was changing “the balance of power in the region for years.”
A US-brokered ceasefire went into effect on November 27 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah, but that did not silence the guns. Each side accused the other of violating the truce. Israel continued bombing southern Lebanon.
Hours after the ceasefire went into effect, another war reignited, with a rebel offensive in Syria breaking a years-long stalemate. In less than two weeks, dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, bringing hope and happiness, but also creating even more uncertainty.