← WW3 RISK TRACKER / THEATER: Israel – Hezbollah, Hamas
Israel – Hezbollah, Hamas war
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated no direct negotiations are underway with Israel, calling for Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Haaretz latest headlines · 12 Sep 2026Report: Israel-Lebanon talks set for next week postponed until OctoberAl Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera · 12 Sep 2026Israel-Lebanon talks postponed as explosions rock southern Lebanon
- The United States State Department scheduled preliminary Israel-Lebanon ambassadorial meetings in Washington while postponing formal Rome talks until October. Haaretz latest headlines · 12 Sep 2026Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome reportedly postponed; Lebanese PM: no negotiations underwayJPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World · 11 Sep 2026Upcoming Israel-Lebanon talks to take place in Washington instead of Rome, US State Department says
- Israeli military officials confirmed Israeli forces will maintain positions in southern Lebanon pending diplomatic negotiations. Haaretz latest headlines · 11 Sep 2026After bombing key Hezbollah stronghold, IDF officials rule out Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon
- Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned Hezbollah against rebuilding military facilities after Israeli forces demolished the Ali al-Taher tunnel network. News from Israel · 11 Sep 2026IDF bracing for Hezbollah retaliation to destruction of Ali al-Taher tunnelsNews from Israel · 11 Sep 2026After destroying Hezbollah tunnels, Zamir issues stark warning
- An Israeli airstrike in Khan Yunis killed Hamas operative Jihad Ismail, who Israeli sources stated participated in the October 7 attack. אבו עלי אקספרס · 11 Sep 2026The IDF this morning eliminated Jihad Ismail in a strike in Khan Yunis – according to Gaza sources, he was a military operative who crossed into the home front area on October 7.
Stalled Diplomatic Framework
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated during a visit to Nabatieh that no direct negotiations with Israel are underway, reiterating demands for full Israeli military withdrawal. The United States State Department scheduled preliminary ambassadorial talks in Washington for next week while postponing broader negotiations in Rome until October. Haaretz latest headlines · 12 Sep 2026Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome reportedly postponed; Lebanese PM: no negotiations underwayHaaretz latest headlines · 12 Sep 2026Report: Israel-Lebanon talks set for next week postponed until OctoberAl Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera · 12 Sep 2026Israel-Lebanon talks postponed as explosions rock southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon Security Stance
Following the demolition of Hezbollah subterranean infrastructure at Ali al-Taher Ridge, Israeli military commanders ruled out a withdrawal from southern Lebanon pending formal diplomatic agreements. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned Hezbollah against attempting to rebuild border positions as Israeli forces prepared for potential retaliation. Haaretz latest headlines · 11 Sep 2026After bombing key Hezbollah stronghold, IDF officials rule out Israeli withdrawal from south LebanonFDD's Long War Journal · 11 Sep 2026IDF destroys Hezbollah underground command complex at Ali al Taher, withdraws from ridgeNews from Israel · 11 Sep 2026IDF bracing for Hezbollah retaliation to destruction of Ali al-Taher tunnels
Gaza Operations and Postwar Planning
Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis killed Hamas operative Jihad Ismail and Khan Yunis Brigade commander Muhammad al-Yazouri. Meanwhile, the Board of Peace signed an agreement in Pristina with Kosovo to contribute personnel to the proposed International Stabilization Force in Gaza. אבו עלי אקספרס · 11 Sep 2026The IDF this morning eliminated Jihad Ismail in a strike in Khan Yunis – according to Gaza sources, he was a military operative who crossed into the home front area on October 7.FDD's Long War Journal · 11 Sep 2026Board of Peace focuses on International Stabilization Force for Gazaאבו עלי אקספרס · 11 Sep 2026The funeral of the Khan Yunis Brigade Commander, Mohammad Al-Yazouri, who was eliminated last night in an Israeli UAV strike.
Assessment
Delayed diplomatic negotiating schedules and sustained Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon keep tactical tension near critical thresholds.
SCORE RATIONALE // Continued Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon, targeted strikes in Gaza, and diplomatic delays maintain elevated operational tension.
- 2026-08-15
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed 11 people, targeting a Hezbollah commander.
On 15 August 2026, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 11 people and injured 19 following an attack that wounded three Israeli soldiers. Israel reported killing Hezbollah commander Ali Samir Al-Haj Hassan, marking the highest casualties since the June ceasefire.
- 2026-08-13
Israel and Lebanon reportedly reach agreement on monitoring framework for Hezbollah disarmament.
Israeli and Lebanese negotiators reportedly agreed on an oversight mechanism to supervise Hezbollah's disarmament as part of ongoing diplomatic talks. The development occurs amid continued friction over ceasefire implementation and localized military actions.
- 2026-08-12
Israeli drone strike targets Hamas commander in Gaza following week-long operational lull
The Israeli military launched an airstrike in northern Gaza targeting a Hamas operational commander, marking the first such strike in over a week. The action tested fragile security arrangements as international diplomatic talks regarding post-conflict monitoring continue.
4 more
- 2026-08-12
Israeli forces conduct airstrikes in southern Lebanon as Lebanese army expands operations.
The IDF carried out strikes against targets in southern Lebanon while the Lebanese Armed Forces continued operating in designated pilot zones. The strikes occurred as international discussions considered the UK and Italy to monitor Hezbollah disarmament.
- 2026-08-12
Israel conducts targeted Gaza airstrike and reported southern Lebanon strikes testing ceasefires.
Israeli forces carried out an airstrike in Gaza targeting a Hamas commander, marking the first strike in over a week. Concurrently, localized military activity and reported strikes in southern Lebanon continue to test international ceasefire arrangements.
- 2026-08-12
United States announces new round of Lebanon-Israel talks in Rome for September
United States diplomatic officials announced that a new round of high-level trilateral negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese representatives will take place in Rome in September. The talks aim to address unresolved security arrangements and border zone disputes amid ongoing localized violations.
- 2026-08-12
Israel and Lebanon advance Washington diplomatic talks amid sporadic southern Lebanese strikes.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is Israel at war?
Yes. Israel is formally at war, fighting Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah across the Lebanese border. It is a war between a state and armed movements rather than between two states. In the worldwide legal classification this registers as several strands at once: military occupation of Palestinian territory and armed conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah. The index reads 74/100 as of 13 September 2026 (full-scale war); above 50 it grades the fighting itself rather than the risk of it.
How dangerous is the Israel and Hezbollah, Hamas situation right now?
The index reads 74/100 — full-scale war. The scale is anchored on 22 historical episodes from 1914 to 2005, so the number means the same thing from one theater to the next. It is a measurement of what is reported, not a forecast.
How is the Israel and Hezbollah, Hamas risk index calculated?
By fixed formula from open-source reporting: events are extracted and graded by how well evidenced they are, scored across weighted factors, and the model never picks the number. The full construction — formulas, weights and the calibration set — is published at wwiii.report/methodology.
How often is this updated?
The reporting is reassessed daily. The index itself is recomputed on a rolling three-day cycle, and between recomputations it holds its last value rather than being re-judged without new evidence.
- Direction
- Escalating sharply (+13.5 / 7d)
- Severity
- Extreme (74 / 100)
- Connections
- Moderate (~4 of 8)
- Cascade
- Moderate (#4 of 9)
How this was measured
| Internationalization18% | 10 | ◆ | |
| Ground combat16% | 38 | ◆ | |
| Standoff strikes14% | 60 | ◆ | |
| Nuclear escalation12% | 12 | ◆ | |
| Mobilization12% | 65 | ◆ | |
| Crisis control10% | 48 | ◆ | |
| Territorial control8% | 45 | ◆ | |
| Geographic spillover7% | 39 | ◆ | |
| Infrastructure3% | 30 | ◆ |
- ▲ 5.5 limited state strike · unverified
- ▲ 2.6 limited state strike · unverified
- ▲ 2.8 limited state strike · unverified
- ▲ 1.7 routine exercise · unverified
- ▲ 0.9 new sanctions · unverified
- ISR
- US
- HMS
- HZB
- PIJ
- IRN
- WBB
- AMB
- AML
- DFL
- PFL
- LBN
- PSE
- EGY
- QAT
- UKR → ISR · ISRAEL-LEVANT ↔ RUSSIA-NATO
'Woman Unknown' wins Golden Lion, Malkovich 'humbled' by best actor award at Venice Film Festi… - PSE → ISR · ISRAEL-LEVANT ↔ TURKEY-EASTMED
August 16, 2026 | - IMEMC News266 sources - ARE → IRN · ISRAEL-LEVANT ↔ SAUDI-HOUTHIS
Another tanker attacked in Hormuz; Iran says Qatar is holding 3 missing pilots - BusinessToday24 sources
One 0–100 scale for the whole conflict. 0–49 is escalation before war; 50–100 is active war and how far it has gone.
50 is not a threshold the number can cross on its own. Which side a theater sits on is decided by whether verified belligerents are fighting there, so war onset always moves the score up across 50 — the number never declares a war by climbing.
It is a stage, not a probability: 42 is not a 42% chance of war. Below 50 it grades movement toward war, above 50 the war itself.
Recomputed every two days while a theater is at war and every five otherwise, from open reporting by fixed formula — the model never picks a number. Between recomputations the index holds its last value rather than being re-judged without new evidence. Full construction →
Direction — which way the week pushed. Severity — where the index sits. Connections — how much of the rest a shock here reaches. Cascade — that reach combined with how ready this theater is to go off.
The index reads the state of the conflict, not the volume of news. Each run grades the factors listed below against fixed rubrics, and the score follows by formula.
So a dramatic headline moves nothing unless it changes a grade. A theater already graded for recurring incursions absorbs one more without moving — it is priced in.
Open How this was measured for every grade, its movement since the last run, and the events behind it. Full construction →
A different measurement from the score above, from a different source. This line counts how much of the world's news reports conflict between these two states, against their own long-run normal: 100 is normal, 200 is twice the usual level.
It is computed mechanically from the GDELT Project's open event stream every 15 minutes and never touches the assessed index above — when both move together, that agreement is the signal. A day with too few events shows no reading rather than a guess. Click the chart for the full history.
Data: the GDELT Project.
Possible new links between this theater and the others, found automatically in machine-coded news: a state acting in both, alliance bridges, retaliation across them. Each entry leads with the headline that evidenced it.
Discovery, not verification. Nothing here changes any score. Nothing appears unless at least two independent sources from two different domains reported it within 72 hours, and only the editorial process can mark a connection verified.