Battle of Ayta ash-Sha'b

For the battle in 2024, see 2024 Ayta al-Shaab clashes.
Battle of Ayta ash-Sha'b
Part of 2006 Lebanon War
Date12 July – 14 August 2006
Location
Ayta ash-Sha'b, Southern Lebanon
Result

Hezbollah victory

  • Israel failed to capture the town[1]
Belligerents
Israel Israel Defense Forces Hezbollah
Commanders and leaders
Brig.-Gen. Udi Adam,
head of Northern Command
Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch,
commander of the 91st Div.
Col. Ilan Atias,
commander of 2nd Brigade
Col. Hagai Mordechai,
commander of 35th Brigade		 Unknown
Units involved

35th Paratroopers Brigade

  • 101st battalion
  • 890th battalion

84th Nahal Brigade
2nd Infantry Reserve Brigade (Carmeli)
847th Armored Reserve Brigade
551st Paratrooper Reserve Brigade

  • 8219th Engineering Battalion
 60–70 fighters (Israeli estimate)[2]
100 fighters (Lebanese estimate)[3]
Casualties and losses
28 killed (IDF claim)
200 killed and wounded (Hezbollah claim)[4]		 11 fighters killed (Lebanese and international media estimates)[5][6][7][3][8]
40 killed (IDF claim)[9]
2 captured[10]
8 Lebanese civilians killed (Lebanese sources)

The Battle of Ayta ash-Sha'b took place during the 2006 Lebanon War, when the Israel Defense Forces and the Islamic Resistance, the armed wing of Hezbollah, fought over the town of Ayta ash-Sha'b in southern Lebanon. The fighting started with the 2006 Hezbollah cross-border raid. After a failed Israeli incursion immidiately after the cross-border raid, the town was subjected to two and a half weeks of intense bombardment by air and artillery. The ground battle for the Ayta ash-Sha'b lasted about two weeks, from late July to mid-August. The IDF deployed five brigades. The Hezbollah force in the town was estimated to consist of little more than half a company. Still the IDF failed to capture the town and suffered relatively heavy casualties in the process.[1]

  1. ^ a b Final Winograd report, p. 318
  2. ^ Erlich, p. 84
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Rosen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Abbas Nasir (14 August 2006). "Aljazeera Exclusive Interview with a Hezbollah Fighter". al-Jazeera / Youtube. Retrieved 4 December 2011. (Arabic /English subtitles)
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Martyrs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Social was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference WashAyta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Hannah Allam (19 September 2006). "People of southern Lebanon bound to Hezbollah". McClatchy Newspapers. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  9. ^ Arkin, p. 89
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference POW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).