Hezbollah and Lebanon 11

Updated September 16, 2024

Hezbollah fires over 100 rockets into Northern Israel

What happened: Hezbollah’s attacks on Northern Israel have continued in the last few days as the IDF resumes counter–terrorism operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Northern Israel

More than 100 rockets were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel on Wednesday, sparking fires and causing damage but causing no injuries. Iron Dome successfully intercepted some of the rockets, while others fell in open areas. Several fell in Kiryat Shmona causing fires.
In response, the IDF struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
On Tuesday evening, Hezbollah rockets targeted Netua and Shtula in Northern Israel and a hostile UAV that approached Israel from the east was successfully intercepted.
Intensified Hezbollah attacks over recent months has put under threat dozens of additional towns and thousands of Israeli citizens are seeking mental health support in designated centres. More than 70,000 Israeli citizens have been evacuated from their homes in Northern Israel since October 7th.

Gaza

The IAF carried out an airstrike on a Hamas and Islamic Jihad Command Centre in the Gaza humanitarian area of Deir al-Balah.
On Tuesday, the IDF and Shin Bet killed the Nukhba commander (of the military wing of Hamas) who commanded the massacre in the Netiv HaAsara community on October 7th.
The IAF also carried out a precision strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control centre embedded inside a compound that previously served as the Numaa College in Gaza City.
Yesterday, more than 200 terrorists were killed in the Tel al-Sultan Area in Rafah. Large Quantities of weapons were located inside a basement where Hamas operatives were embedded.
Also yesterday, the tunnel from which the bodies of the six hostages were recovered from was located. Around the tunnel shaft was a children’s play area, which included stuffed animals and wall art of cartoon characters.
IDF troops and the Shin Bet located the shaft leading to the tunnel in an area surrounded by Hamas operatives and extensively booby-trapped, in a further example of how Hamas abuses civilian areas to hold hostages and carry out its activities.
The Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported that the second stage of the polio vaccination campaign will begin today, with medical teams vaccinating children in South Gaza.
Yesterday, a total of 28,004 children were vaccinated, and 189,033 children have been vaccinated in total in central Gaza. This number exceeded the expected number of vaccinations in the area.
COGAT also reported that 222 trucks carrying humanitarian goods were transferred to Gaza yesterday: 52 via Erez and 170 via Kerem Shalom.

West Bank

During IDF counterterrorism activity carried out yesterday in the area of Far’a in the Jordan Valley, an IAF aircraft struck a terrorist cell that fired at the soldiers. In the area of Tulkarm, IDF soldiers killed two armed terrorists during exchanges of fire.
A drone attacked a car in Tubas and killed five terrorists who posed an imminent threat. One of those killed was Muhammad Zubeidi, the son of Zakaria Zubeidi, who had been formerly jailed inside Israel for security related offences.
The soldiers also located an explosive inside a baby pushchair. During the operation, an explosives laboratory was demolished, as well as several improvised explosive devices and materials to create explosives.

Context: Whilst IDF operations continue in the north, south and centre, public protests are exerting pressure on the government to conclude a deal to release the hostages.

Thousands of people demonstrated throughout the day yesterday across Israel.
The largest demonstration was held outside the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, but other protests were held outside Likud headquarters and outside the homes of coalition MKs and ministers.
In what is broadly perceived as a bid to spur additional public pressure on the Israeli government, Hamas released a video of Carmel Gat, one of the six Israeli hostages who were executed last week by Hamas.
Ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have continued to put pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to refrain from making what they consider to be unacceptable concessions in a ceasefire/hostage deal with Hamas.
One of the main obstacles to secure a cease fire with Hamas remains the Philadelphi Corridor. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining troops along the border with Egypt so as to prevent it being used as a supply line for Hamas.
The US Department of Justice has charged Hamas leaders over the October 7th attack. The US filed the claim against the terrorist organisation leaders: Ismail Haniyeh (now deceased), Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif (now deceased), Marwan Issa (now deceased), Khaled Meshaal, and Ali Baraka. The claim consists of various charges including, conspiracy to murder US nationals, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, and conspiracy to finance terrorism. This is a significant step in the public prosecution of Hamas.
In what appears to be the latest example of attacks against an Israeli target abroad, a shooting attack took place today, near the Israeli Consulate in Munich, on the 52nd anniversary of the Sept. 5 1972 Munich Olympics terror attack.

Looking ahead: While the prospects of a hostage deal remain unclear, the families of American hostages being held by Hamas have pressed the White House to consider cutting a unilateral deal with the terrorist organisation to secure their loved ones’ release, and the option is currently under discussion within the Biden administration.

Some senior administration officials strongly oppose this, and President Biden has opted to continue to try to reach a broader deal that includes Israel and ultimately outlines a path to end the conflict.
Israel remains on alert for the prospect of an Iranian attack although Iranian regime sources indicate there will likely be a further delay in a retaliatory strike on Israel until the ongoing ceasefire-hostage negotiations conclude

August 1, 2024

Israel on high alert following assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders

What’s happened: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, in retaliation for the killing in Tehran of Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

In his public statement, Iran’s supreme leader, said: “we see avenging his blood our duty,” because it happened on the territory of the Islamic Republic. He said Israel had set the stage for receiving “a severe punishment.”
In a memorial ceremony held in Tehran, the Ayatollah personally led the prayers, while also speaking at the ceremony, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, said that the Israeli regime committed a ‘strategic mistake’.
In Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the nation on Wednesday evening and described the current conflict as an “existential war against a stranglehold of terrorist armies and missiles that Iran would like to tighten around our neck.”
Speaking of Hezbollah’s number two Shukr, Netanyahu said that he “was directly responsible for the massacre of our dear boys and girls in Majdal Shams. He was responsible for the murder of many other Israeli citizens. He was responsible for the unceasing assault against our citizens in the northern communities over nine months of war.”
“He was one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. The US put a $5 million bounty on his head, and for good reason. He was involved in the murder of 241 American soldiers and 58 French soldiers in Beirut in 1983. He was the main liaison between Iran and Hezbollah and he was responsible for the organisation’s missiles,” Netanyahu added.
Defence Minister Gallant spoke to his counterpart US Secretary of State Austin who reassured him by saying, “We certainly will help defend Israel. You saw us do that April. You can expect to see us do that again.”
The US has also now deployed at least 12 warships to the region, including the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, amphibious assault teams and over 4,000 Marines and sailors.
In a further unconfirmed attack, Syria sources are claiming that Brig Gen Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Forces, has been killed in a targeted attack close to Damascus. Hajizadeh is understood to have been the senior commander who oversaw the Iranian ballistic and cruise missile attack in April against Israel.

Context: While Israel has not formally taken responsibility for the strike in Tehran, the dual targets in Beirut and Tehran within a few hours appears to be an impressive intelligence and operational achievement for Israel.

Open speculation remains as to how Haniyeh was killed. Some reports suggest a missile was launched from outside Iran, while others believe the targeted killing was implemented from a closer proximity, implying operatives on the ground.
This is the latest targeted strike inside Iran, further exposing the gaps in the regime’s internal security.
As a formal guest of the Ayatollah, and staying in a ‘secure residence’ operated by the IRGC, Haniyeh’s death is seen in Iran as constituting a further psychological blow to the regime, which is likely also a factor in their consideration of response.
According to the Iranian warning, a response may come directly from Iran – similar to the attack in April in which 300+ drones and missiles were fired at the Israeli home front. Alternatively, the possibility exists that Iran will utilise all of the members of its Axis of Resistance – in Syria, Iraq and Yemen – to carry out an integrated multi-theatre response.
Israel will be partly reassured by US Secretary Austin’s support and will hope that the regional alliance between Israel, US and regional partners, known as Middle East Air Defence (MEAD), will be as effective as thwarting the Iranian attack in April.
The strikes on Haniyeh and Shukr are the latest example of an Israeli tactic to target the top leadership in Hamas and Hezbollah.
- In early January, Saleh Al-Arouri, Haniyeh’s deputy and one of the founders of the armed wing of Hamas, was killed in Beirut (although Israel did not take formal responsibility).
- In mid-July, a strike in Gaza killed Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military wing. The confirmation of his death was formally recognised by Israel this morning.
- In March, Marwan Issa, Deif’s deputy was killed.
- In April, an airstrike in Damascus killed a number of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers, including its top officer in Syria, Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

Haniyeh, who has been Hamas’ political leader since 2017, is the highest -profile member of the group to be killed following the October 7 attack and Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza.
On October 7th he was recorded praying in celebration of the attacks, and called on West Bank Palestinians to join the battle.
Today is the 300^th day since October 7^th, with 115 hostages remain in Hamas captivity. Inside Israel, hostage families and their supporters continue their campaign to pressure the government to move forward with the deal.
According to Prime Minister Netanyahu the extended military campaign serves to increase the pressure on Hamas and to support Israel in the negotiations. Others are concerned Haniyeh’s death makes a deal harder to conclude.
In parallel, IDF troops are continuing operational activity in Gaza.
- In the Rafah area troops are currently operating in the area of Tel al-Sultan, where they dismantled a structure rigged with explosives that was used by Hamas terrorists.
- In the area of Khan Yunis, launchers loaded with rockets and aimed toward Israeli territory were struck by the IDF.

Looking ahead: Following the memorial ceremony in Tehran, Haniyeh’s body will be flown to Doha for a formal burial.

An Iranian response is anticipated in the coming days with Israel on a peak state of alert preparing for any scenario. Israel’s air defences are on maximum alert, the air force jets patrolling the skies and ground forces on heightened vigilance along all the borders.
The head of Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar said, “The Israeli Air Force defends and operates in all arenas of the war, enveloping the State of Israel with dozens of aircraft, manned and unmanned, ready and prepared within minutes for any scenario, in any arena. We will act against anyone planning to harm the citizens of the State of Israel, there Is nowhere that is too far for us to strike”
So far the Israel’s Home Front command has not yet given any further instructions to the Israeli civilian population.

June 19, 2024

IDF approves plans for Lebanon offensive, as Hezbollah releases drone footage

The north: Hezbollah yesterday released a nine-minute, high quality drone-shot video showing multiple Israeli strategic assets in Haifa.

The Israeli navy’s main port base was shown, with ships visible. Hezbollah also claimed to identify other strategic sites including air defence bases and the airport.
Israeli Foreign Minister Katz commented on the incident, saying that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah “brags about filming Haifa’s ports, operated by international giants from China and India, and threatens to attack them. We’re very close to changing the rules of engagement against Hezbollah and Lebanon.”
“In a full-scale war, Hezbollah will be destroyed, and Lebanon will be severely impacted. Israel will pay a price on the front and at home, but with a strong and united people, and with the full force of the IDF, we’ll restore security to northern residents.”
The footage raises concerns about how the drone was able to both penetrate Israeli airspace and, presumably, return to Lebanon without interception.
However, the IDF claims that the drone which captured the images was under IDF surveillance for entirety of their mission but was not shot down to avoid risking injury.
The IDF is having to cope with the increasing sophistication of Hezbollah’s drone arsenal, as it is with the groups’ weapons stock more broadly. Israeli identification mechanisms are being constantly enhanced and updated to account for the greater sophistication.
Meanwhile, after a two-day lull coinciding with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, at least ten rockets were fired last night into the Galilee panhandle and the Upper Galilee. All landed in uninhabited areas, while a rocket that was fired at Kibbutz Sasa was intercepted by an Iron Dome battery.
In response, the IDF said that “IAF fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon, including several terror infrastructure sites in the areas of Taybeh, Odaisseh, and Jibbain, as well as a military structure in the area of Ayta Ash Shab.”
At least one drone then exploded over Metulla this morning, with no injuries reported. Sirens sounded in Kiryat Shmona and other surrounding villages and the IDF is currently returning fire at Lebanon.
US envoy Amos Hochstein remains in the region to try to achieve a diplomatic resolution to increasingly intense cross-border fighting the US fears might develop into an all-out regional war.
US and French efforts over the last eight months have so far failed to produce a breakthrough. 80,000 northern Israelis remaining displaced, and Israel insists it will be forced to proceed with further operations, possibly including a ground invasion, to resecure the northern front.

Rafah: The IDF permitted a group of Israeli journalists to tour the southern Gaza city of Rafah yesterday, where what the military describes as “precise, intelligence-based” operations remain ongoing.

Nahal Brigade Commander Col. Yair Zuckerman told journalists that “the number of tunnels in this area is the largest we’ve seen in the Strip.” Zuckerman added that two of the four Hamas battalions in the city had been dismantled, though many Hamas fighters are thought to have fled to Khan Younis, having initially fled to Rafah from Khan Younis.
Visiting journalists noted the high morale of troops, many of whom have been deployed constantly since October 7^th, and the generally lower intensity of fighting in Rafah compared with other sites earlier in the war.
Zukerman said, “It’s fine to budget the use of munitions, and that is also the right thing to do professionally,” he says. “But let’s be clear: there has been no instance that I have asked for air support and not gotten it. There is no company commander who needs to fire a shell at a building and doesn’t do so. So it’s true that we aren’t using the full extent of our firepower, but I get what I need.”
Elsewhere in the south, an air raid siren sounded this morning in the Gaza periphery, warning of a hostile aircraft. Israeli media later reported that a “suspicious aerial object” had fallen in an open field, causing no casualties.
Despite political criticism, the IDF is currently maintaining a partial tactical pause to allow for the distribution of aid.
According to the IDF, “Over 1,400 trucks of humanitarian aid that have been transferred from Israel into the Gaza Strip remain uncollected by International Organizations and the UN on the Gazan side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing.”

Qatar: The Qatari prime minister met yesterday with Hamas’s overseas leader Ismail Haniyeh and urged him to show flexibility on a hostage deal.

Qatar has been much criticised for failing to exert greater pressure on Hamas to agree to a deal. Yesterday, however, the Gulf State was defended by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf.
“Qatar really does punch above its weight, and it has a nimbleness of approach with a variety of actors that we don’t have relations with, but that we need to communicate with,” Leaf told a Senate subcommittee.
“There’s a cadre of political officials of Hamas in Doha — and boy do they squeeze them [Hamas], I can assure you they squeeze them — But at the end of the day, there’s one guy 10 stories below the ground,” Leaf continued, referring to Hamas’s Gazan leader Yahya Sinwar; “a psychopath, messianic in his own belief that he has established himself in history, and [he believes that] there’s a sunk cost of having lost thousands of fighters and carnage in Gaza.”
Reports from the US this week have suggested that Doha has threatened Hamas figures resident there with arrests, asset seizure, and expulsion if a deal is not reached.
However, as Leaf’s comments suggest, Qatar’s leverage over Sinwar is lesser than any it enjoys over Hamas’s exiled leadership, and it is unclear how much sway Haniyeh and other senior officials in Doha have over pressuring the Gazan leadership to accept a deal.
With Hamas claiming it is unable to confirm how many of the remaining 120 hostages remain alive, a senior Israeli negotiator said earlier this week that “dozens are alive, with certainty”.

Israel-US: Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday released a statement saying that it was “inconceivable that in the past few months, the [US] administration has been withholding weapons and ammunitions to Israel. Israel, America’s closest ally, fighting for its life, fighting against Iran and our other common enemies.”

“Secretary Blinken assured me that the administration is working day and night to remove these bottlenecks. I certainly hope that’s the case. It should be the case. During World War II, Churchill told the United States, ‘Give us the tools, we’ll do the job.’ And I say, give us the tools and we’ll finish the job a lot faster.”
The White House responded by saying that “we genuinely do not know what he’s talking about. We just don’t.”
“There was one particular shipment of munitions that was paused,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in response, with respect to 2000-pound bombs the US withheld over concerns about their use in the highly densely populated Rafah. “We continue to have constructive conversations with the Israelis for the release of that particular shipment and don’t have any updates on that. There are no other pauses or holds in place… Everything else is moving in due process.”
Netanyahu was also reassured/corrected by Biden envoy Amos Hochstein in their meeting earlier this week, while the White House is said to be furious about the prime minister’s remarks and set to cancel a joint American-Israeli strategic dialogue meeting on Iran in response.

Looking ahead: The IDF continues to raise the readiness of troops on the ground regarding the northern front. OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin and IDF Operations Director Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk yesterday approved operational plans for an Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

IDF officials said once more yesterday that they expected operations in Rafah to be concluded within a month. Zuckerman, though, said he expected an IDF brigade would have to remain deployed along the Philadelphi Corridor moving forward to stem the tide of illicit weapons smuggled into Gaza from Egypt

April 5, 2023

Aircraft downed on Israel’s northern border

On Sunday Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopters and jets were scrambled after an unidentified aircraft crossed from Syria into Israeli airspace.
The aircraft was tracked by the IAF throughout the incident and was shot down in an open area over the Hula valley. The IDF spokesperson’s office confirmed the aircraft “posed no threat” and no alarm was activated.
The incident followed a report on Friday of another IAF strike inside Syria. This time the attack was in Homs in western Syria. According to Syrian reports, the attack focused on the Dabaa military airport and weapons storehouses in Qusayr, which primarily serve Hezbollah.
Syrian military officials reported that five Syrian army troops were injured in the attack and that some of the missiles were intercepted.
A Syrian military official warned Israel: “The recurring attacks point to Israel’s weakness and the inability of the treacherous army to engage on the ground. This won’t pass quietly.”
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant visited the Etzion Regional Brigade yesterday, but related remarks to the northern sector, warning, “We won’t allow the Iranians and Hezbollah to attack us. We haven’t allowed that in the past, we aren’t allowing that in the present and we won’t allow that in the future. We will push them out of Syria to the place they ought to be, and that is Iran.”

The latest attack ascribed to Israel was the third attack in four days in Syria.

More details have emerged from the strike near Damascus on Thursday night, where an Iranian military adviser was killed. According to Arab media reports, Captain Milad Haydari helped train pro-Iranian militias on fitting inaccurate rockets with precision-guiding systems. (See here for a previous BICOM paper on these).
In addition, a second Iranian official who was wounded in the previous Israeli air strike reportedly died of his injuries.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement accusing Israel of using the attacks in Damascus to try to distract public attention away from its domestic crisis.
There are suggestions that Iran sees Israel as ripe for attack as it is perceived to be preoccupied with the domestic political turbulence. However, Israel has kept up its counterterrorism operations uninterrupted and despite the fractures inside Israeli society, the country always unites when faced with an external threat.
The UAV into Israel and the latest strikes inside Syria can be seen through the prism of the wider Israel-Iran conflict. Just in the last month.
- Iran has continued transferring weapons to Syria.
- Iran also planned a terror attack in Athens targeting Israelis and Jews.
- Iran is also looking to increase support to Palestinian terrorist groups, as seen in the explosion at Megiddo junction last month.
In parallel, Syria is continuing to rehabilitate its relations with the Arab world. In the latest rapprochement, the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisel Mekdad visited Cairo and met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

Other security incidents: This morning the IDF entered Nablus to arrest two men suspected of involvement in the shooting attack in Huwara a week ago in which three IDF soldiers were injured.

In the course of the operation and the exchanges of fire that lasted more than two hours, two Palestinians were killed after shooting at the Israeli troops, and several others were injured.
Also over the weekend three Israeli soldiers were injured, one in critical condition, following a car-ramming attack in Gush Etzion.
Palestinian sources identified the attacker, who was shot at and killed, as 23-year-old Muhammad Baradiya, an officer in the Palestinian Authority’s security forces. Shortly before the attack, he posted photographs of al-Aqsa Mosque with the caption, “We’ve asked for Paradise.”
In a separate incident, Muhammad Al-Osaibi, an Israeli-Arab from Hura, was shot and killed by police in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to the police Al-Osaibi snatched one of the policemen’s guns and fired it without hitting anyone.
Hura’s Mayor Habas al-Atawneh strongly rejected the police statement that framed the incident as a terror attack, claiming Al-Osaibi had never handled a weapon, and was a medical student who wanted to help his family.
The police commanders have given backing to their forces. This morning the police said Al-Osaibi’s DNA was found on the gun.
Unusually for the Old City, the incident occurred in a cctv blind spot, with no footage available.

IDF troops are looking for parts of the downed aircraft. Only when it’s found will they be able to confirm if it was Iranian.

Ahead of Passover, a general closure will be imposed on the West Bank and crossings from the Gaza Strip suspended, but only for the first day of the festival and it will be lifted for the intermediary days.
In consideration of Ramadan and the desire to allow freedom of worship, Palestinian worshipers will be allowed to enter Jerusalem Friday to attend services on the Temple Mount.
A second closure will be imposed on the territories on the eve of the last day of Passover. However, the crossings would be opened for humanitarian and medical cases as well as for other extenuating circumstances.

December 21, 2022

Hezbollah drone shot down at Lebanese border

The IDF shot down a Hezbollah drone attempting to enter Israeli airspace on Tuesday afternoon.

The drone, identified as a quadcopter (a small device with four rotors), was intercepted near the community of Zarit close to the Lebanese border.
Afterwards the IDF said the drone was being tracked and monitored long before it reached the border.
Earlier this week Syrian sources reported on the latest air strike in the Damascus area.
According to the Syrian reports the target was a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Saida Zeinab district.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two Hezbollah operatives were killed in the air strike.
The Saudi Arabian Al-Arabiya network claimed the target was an Iranian anti-aircraft battery that had recently been deployed near the international airport in Damascus.
In a separate and unusual incident last week, an Irish UN peacekeeper was killed and several others wounded after their convoy was shot at whilst driving through the town of Al-Aqbiya in southern Lebanon.
The Irish Defence Forces said in a statement that a pair of armoured vehicles carrying eight Irish UNIFIL peacekeeping troops were fired on last Tuesday night.
Footage from the incident showed the convoy coming under machine-gun fire, with one of the vehicles subsequently losing control and overturning.
The UN confirmed that one peacekeeper was killed as a result of the gunfire and have opened an investigation.
Hezbollah’s use of drones has increased over the last few months, in the summer drones were dispatched to film Israel’s off shore gas rig, prior to the Israel-Lebanese maritime agreement.
The IDF is thought to have several methods for downing drones. In the past it has deployed fighter jets, helicopters, the Iron Dome system, their own drones or electronic jamming. They did not reveal which technology was used on this occasion.
In addition, Hezbollah operatives have continued to raise their presence on Israel’s border, they have increased their patrols and openly monitor and document Israeli troop movements.
Hezbollah has also set up dozens of lookout posts along the border.
Hezbollah is also continuing efforts to strengthen its presence in Syria. Last week it was reported that the IDF attacked a Hezbollah facility in the area of As-Suwayda, in the south-west of Syria, not far from the Israeli border.
Following that incident the IDF dropped leaflets in the area, warning Syrian military personnel against continuing to allow Hezbollah to operate in the area.
Iranian attempts to smuggle advanced weapons continues both by air to various Syrian airports, and also via land, through Iraq and Syria.
In a rare revelation last week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi confirmed that Israel was behind an attack on a weapons shipment on the Iraqi-Syrian border last month.
He revealed that in a convoy of 25 fuel trucks Israeli intelligence had identified the eighth vehicle as containing weapons.
As well as thwarting the smuggling, Kochavi’s comments highlight Israel’s intelligence and operational capabilities.

Responding to the attempted drone infiltration the IDF said it will continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty.

There are serious concerns, based on Israeli intelligence information, that Iran is looking to establish a new weapons route direct to Beirut airport. Israel has passed on warnings that it would not hesitate to bomb the airport. This would be a dramatic development, and it’s unclear how Hezbollah and other actors would respond.

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