IDF

LTC Nadav Shoshani: 2024: IDF Year in Review

By Steve Ornstein

Posted on January 2, 2025

LTC Nadav Shoshani: 2024: IDF Year in Review

A defining in year in the history of the IDF

As we bring 2024 to a close, I wanted to reflect on a few of the defining stories of this year in the Israel Defense Forces.

After almost 15 months of war, let’s look back at the extraordinary military achievements of the last year, as well as some of the most painful moments in our nation’s long history.

Hostage Rescue Missions

In 2024, hostage rescue missions have provided Israel and the world with some of the most powerful images of the year. From the rescue of Fernando Marman and Luis Har in Rafah in February, to Operation ‘Arnon’ in July, through to the rescue of Qaid Farhan al-Qadi in August, our soldiers successfully carried out some of the most complex and dangerous missions to bring home our citizens held captive in Gaza since October 7th. The joy felt upon bringing home hostages alive to their families only makes us more determined to bring back the rest of the 100 hostages still being held in inhumane conditions in Gaza.

Freed hostage Noa Argamani reunited with her father, Yaakov (08/06/2024)

The Tragic Words: “Returned Home for Burial in Israel”

For hostages murdered on October 7th and whose bodies were then taken captive by Hamas in Gaza, or hostages killed in captivity before we were able to save them, the recovery of their bodies and return home to Israel for burial were moments of searing pain. On the morning of September 1st, six young hostages – Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, and Ori Danino – who were all captured alive on October 7th and murdered by Hamas in a tunnel beneath Rafah after eleven months in captivity – were brought home for final burial by the IDF. We will never forget them and all the hostages killed in captivity – and vow to not rest until all 100 remaining hostages are brought back home.

The faces of the six hostages murdered by Hamas shortly before the IDF were able to reach them. May their memory be a blessing.

The Mastermind of the October 7th Massacre Eliminated by the IDF in Rafah

On October 16th, IDF ground troops operating in southern Gaza eliminated the mastermind behind the October 7th massacre: Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar. For years, Sinwar had spearheaded Hamas’ most violent terrorist activities, culminating in the day he led the slaughter of 1,200 people and the capture of 251 hostages. When we say we will never let October 7th happen again, we mean it.

Hamas’ military and political leader Yahya Sinwar in his final moments before the IDF eliminated him (16/10/2024)

Operation ‘Iron Shield’: Defense Against an Unprecedented Iranian Attack

After months of attacks via its terror proxies across the Middle East, Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13th. For the first time ever, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and UAVs from Iranian soil across the Middle East toward Israel. Millions of Israelis were forced into bomb shelters. The Israeli Air Force – together with an international military coalition that stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel – we managed to intercept 99% of the threats.

Deadly Rocket Attack on Majdal Shams

On July 27th, an Iranian-made missile fired by Hezbollah struck a soccer field in Majdal Shams, killing 12 innocent children from the Druze community. The children had been playing soccer on a Saturday evening when the missile, containing fifty-three kilograms of explosives, slammed into the field. The IDF vowed to hold Hezbollah responsible for this despicable act of terror against innocent children – and we kept our word.

“This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children.” LTG Herzi Halevi (27/07/2024)

Hours after the attack, the Chief of the General Staff arrived at the soccer field and met with the Head of the Druze community, Shaykh Mowafaq Tarif, and representatives of the local authority (27/07/2024)

Eliminated: Hassan Nasrallah

On September 27th, the IDF conducted a targeted strike on the central headquarters of the Hezbollah terrorist organization, located underground, beneath a residential building in Dahieh, Beirut. The target was Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah and one of the world’s most dangerous terrorists. Following Nasrallah’s elimination, the world became a much safer place.

Thwarting Hezbollah’s ‘Conquer the Galilee’ Invasion Plan

In early October, the IDF began conducting limited, localized, targeted raids in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah terrorist strongholds near our northern border. These operations aimed to remove immediate threats to Israeli communities and thwart Hezbollah’s plans for an “October 7th-style” invasion, known as the “Conquer the Galilee” plan. These are just some of the weapons located by our soldiers that were used in attacks against Israeli civilians:

A sample of the Hezbollah weapons captured by the IDF (December 2024)

The Year the Houthis Became a Global Threat

In 2024, the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen launched numerous attacks against Israeli population centers, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Eilat. They also fired at international shipping vessels sailing along maritime routes in the Red Sea – turning the Houthis into a global threat. The IDF has conducted four strikes on military targets belonging to the Houthis in Yemen and going into 2025, our message is clear: we will continue to operate against any threat, from near or far.

The courageous men and women of the IAF responsible for strikes on military targets approx. 2,000km from Israel’s borders (July 2024)

IDF Strikes on Strategic Weapons Stockpiles in Syria

Over 48 hours at the beginning of December, the IDF struck most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria, preventing them from falling into the hands of terrorist elements.

Footage from IDF naval operations against Syria’s strategic weaponry (December 2024)

And finally…

On a personal note, 2024 was the year I returned to full-time service in the IDF as the International Spokesperson. It was also the year I became a father for the first time.