ABNA24 - When the US and Israeli regime waged their war on Iran, they did not thought that other Axis of Resistance branches in the region will get involved in the conflict. But as it was predicted and the resistance leaders had earlier warned, as the war began, the “the unity of fronts” theory, which suggests war on one branch of Axis of Resistance is war on all branches, glared even brighter in the new confrontation. Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Hezbollah that has a precious experience in confronting the Israeli regime, in this unfolding war has played a considerable role in punishing the Israeli regime.
Despite repeated assertions by Israeli officials over the past two years that frequent Israeli military operations had decimated Hezbollah’s military capabilities, rendering the resistance movement no longer a threat to occupied territories, recent weeks have seen devastating blows from the resistance forces that have plunged the enemy into deep concern.
In the latest conflict, Hezbollah fighters, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Iranian armed forces, have conducted dozens of missile and drone operations targeting occupied lands and sensitive Israeli regime positions. These strikes have inflicted significant casualties and damage upon Israel as many sources confirm.
Hezbollah announced on Friday that it had launched extensive operations, targeting multiple Israeli army bases and troop concentrations in border areas as well as the depth of occupied territories.
According to the statement, resistance fighters fired volleys of rockets and missiles, striking positions including a gathering of soldiers at “Jal al-Dair” opposite the village of Aytrun, the naval base and “Ze’ev” air defense base in Haifa, the “Eliakim” training base, and the “Tiferet” base east of Acre.
As the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran lengthens, the scope of Hezbollah’s operations continues to expand. On Friday, Hezbollah reported targeting Israeli armored vehicles and soldiers with planted bombs on the Al-Taybeh-Qantara road in southern Lebanon, resulting in enemy casualties. Furthermore, the movement stated that its fighters detonated roadside bombs targeting vehicles and Israeli soldiers on the “Deir Siryan” road in southern Lebanon, inflicting confirmed losses on the Israelis.
Based on Hezbollah’s statements, published by its military press outlet, the number of Hezbollah operations from Thursday afternoon to Friday reached over 100 in a 24-hour period, marking the highest frequency of operations in the history of confrontations between the two sides. Channel 15 of Israel reported that Hezbollah launched 600 rockets in its operations, with the majority targeting Israeli army soldiers in Lebanon.
On the other hand, Israeli sources reported that in extensive rocket attacks of Hezbollah on Naharya and surrounding regions, 1 Israeli settler was killed and 26 were injured.
As the war unfolded, Hezbollah on Thursday destroyed 18 much-vaunted Merkava tanks in southern villages of Lebanon, reaching unprecedented total number of 75 destroyed tanks. Merkava is claimed to be sporting a system of rocket evading and distracting. On Wednesday, Hezbollah set a new record in its anti-Israeli operations, inflicting heavy damages on the occupation forces. In these two days, it destroyed 21 Merkava tanks, 3 D-9 bulldozers, and 2 Hummer vehicles, defeating a big maneuver by the Israeli soldiers to seize Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah has not only engaged in missile and drone attacks but has also entered into man combat with occupation forces, inflicting significant casualties. On Friday, it announced clashes with Israeli soldiers at extremely close range in the town of Naqoura. News sources reported that the occupation regime’s army has requested additional reinforcements for the front line with Lebanon.
In a related development, the spokesperson for the Israeli army confirmed the death of one of its officers during engagements in southern Lebanon. While precise details on the casualties sustained by the Israeli military are not officially released, Arab reports indicate that dozens of occupation soldiers have been killed and wounded in Hezbollah’s missile and drone attacks in recent weeks.
These operations represent just a fraction of Hezbollah’s actions against the Israeli regime, with resistance commanders warning of new surprises in the offing, which will be revealed over time to strike the enemy.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem recently highlighted the group’s capabilities, stating that the resistance has engaged in war fully prepared. He added that its forces, through sacrifice, have “staged scenes of heroism, honor, and patriotism”, and are ready to continue the path forward without limitations.
All occupied territories within Hezbollah missile range
Before this war, Hezbollah’s attacks were limited to northern Israeli settlements, but now strategic regions in remote regions are not spared from the rocket and drone attacks of the Lebanese resistance movement. On Thursday, Hezbollah stated it struck the Israeli defense ministry’s headquarters at Al-Kiryat base in central Tel Aviv.
The Al-Kiryat base, housing the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Israeli Army, the War Management Room, and the Air Force’s War Supervision and Control Board, was reportedly targeted. Israeli sources announced that this attack was Hezbollah’s most severe missile operation against Tel Aviv to date, utilizing long-range missiles. Limited images and videos released show that most of Hezbollah’s missiles during the war have penetrated the Iron Dome’s air defense and hit their intended targets, indicating a shift in deterrence dynamics in favor of the resistance.
The Lebanese resistance movement has declared that its operations against the occupied territories are in response to the “continuation of the enemy’s targeting and displacement of civilians, and the brutal destruction of buildings, residential areas, and civilian infrastructure.”
As Hezbollah leaders had previously warned that life would become harder for settlers in future wars and that more Israelis would be displaced, during the latest round of confrontations, some Israeli settlements have turned into “ghost cities.” According to Israeli media reports, life in Kiryat Shmona, a settlement near the Lebanese border, is no longer normal as it was before the October 7 war. The remaining population of Kiryat Shmona is now estimated at around 5,000 people, as the vast majority of the town’s 25,000 residents have fled their homes since the start of the conflict with Hezbollah.
Avichai Stern, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, described the unbearable conditions for the residents of the region, stating that Israelis, after living constantly in shelters fearing Hezbollah’s missile and drone attacks, can no longer endure this situation. The mayor warned that if the confrontations continue, the town’s population may dwindle to just 10 people by next month.
The situation is similar in other border areas, but due to strict censorship by the army, precise news about the number of displaced Israelis is not published. However, the condition of the Israeli settlers in these areas reflects the tough living circumstances.
Shooting enemy drones and fighter jets
As Israeli regime continues its attacks, Hezbollah unveils its new weapons in the confrontations, dealing heavy blows to the enemy. Though the Israeli fighter jets and drones over the past two decades have been roaming free in low altitudes in the Lebanese sky unconcerned about being shot down, they are not safe anymore as Hezbollah has developed its anti-aircraft weapons.
Reports suggested that on Friday evening, Hezbollah targeted an Israeli warplane with a surface-to-air missile, forcing it to abort its bombing mission over Lebanon. This also had happened on Wednesday.
Hezbollah also announced downing a Hermes 450 drone belonging to the Israeli army in the south with an “appropriate weapon”, the second hunt of the advanced Israeli drone since war began.
Hezbollah’s gains are not limited to this and on Friday, a Lebanese security source said that Hezbollah attacked Israeli helicopters with “heavy fire” in Bikaa heights in eastern Lebanon and downed one of them.
Hezbollah’s lethal strikes have compelled Tel Aviv officials to acknowledge the movement’s capabilities. The commander of the “603rd Combat Engineering Battalion of the Israeli army expressed astonishment at the level of Hezbollah’s preparedness in confronting Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon.
The Maariv newspaper, quoting this Israeli commander, reported: “On Thursday, we had one fatality from the Golani Brigade and 5 wounded. We initiated an attack while they were waiting for us. The volume of rockets that rain down on us in southern Lebanon is immense, and they know where we are, which indicates we are being monitored.”
“The battlefield is complex, and the intelligent enemy is operating differently from the Swords of Iron operation. They possess many drones and conduct bombardments with missiles.”
Israeli attacks inside Lebanon
Although the Israeli regime is predominantly engaged in war with Iran, it at the same time advances its air and ground assaults on Lebanon. The occupation army has so far launched tens of air attacks on Beirut’s southern outskirts, the bastion of Hezbollah, killing over 1,000 Lebanese civilians.
The occupation military also targeted energy facilities and power plants in Tyre in southern Lebanon. A unit of forces tried to advance in Al-Qozah also in the south, but Hezbollah fighters blocked them, leading to heavy fighting.
Israeli officials, who have conducted thousands of airstrikes across various Lebanese regions in violation of the ceasefire over the past two years, are now leveraging the ongoing conflict to re-evaluate the option of a ground invasion of Lebanese territory. However, they remain hesitant about its execution. Army officials are concerned about sustaining heavy casualties against Hezbollah in a ground offensive. Conversely, political figures, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, are pressuring the army not to fear a ground engagement in Lebanon.
In an effort to compel Hezbollah to cease its operations, the Israeli army intends to increase human casualties in Lebanon by employing unconventional weapons. In this regard, Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers have confirmed that the Israeli regime has recently used white phosphorus in southern Lebanon, leading to further accusations of violating the laws of war. Researchers from this organization suggest that with the displacement of 800,000 Lebanese from southern regions following evacuation warnings, there may be many more unrecorded instances of the use of such internationally-banned munitions.
Beirut government aligned with Tel Aviv
While Hezbollah is alone shouldering defending Lebanon’s territorial integrity against the Israeli occupation and is in need of internal support, the Lebanese officials are taking steps against the resistance movement and in line with the enemy. In this connection, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raji on Tuesday in an X message said he ordered his ministry to summon the Iranian charge d’affaires and announce revocation of credentials of Iranian ambassador Mohammadreza Sheybani.
Drawing pleasure of the Israeli regime, the move against Hezbollah’s ally drew reactions from resistance figures.
condemning this action, Hezbollah described it as “a hasty step, lacking legal basis, and contrary to Lebanon’s national interests,” indicating susceptibility to external pressures. The Amal Movement in Lebanon, an ally of Hezbollah, also criticized the government’s decision to expel the Iranian ambassador and called on the country’s officials to immediately withdraw this decision to prevent a political crisis.
Furthermore, representatives affiliated with Hezbollah in the parliament also characterized this move as a “strategic mistake”, stressing that this decision harms Lebanon’s interests and its relations with friendly countries, and will ultimately fail. They asserted that those who made this decision must retract it.
In general, large-scale Hezbollah operations against the occupied territories along with Iranian missile strikes have eroded Israeli resilience, and with further displacement of the Israeli settlers, pressures are expected to build up on the hardline government of Netanyahu.
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