Sirens sounded in Afula and other towns in the Jezreel Valley on Tuesday morning. Sirens were heard in Givat Ela, Ahuzat Barak, Tzippori, Nazareth, Nof HaGalil and other locations, as well as in Nahariya and Krayot, near Haifa. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that more than 100 rockets were identified crossing into Israel from Lebanon. Some of them were intercepted and others fell in open areas. No one was injured but some property was damaged. The Israel Police received reports of interceptor parts falling in several locations in the Nazareth area. It added that, at this stage, there were no reports of injuries but some property was damaged.
The IDF said that following sirens sounded between 2:39 a.m. and 2:40 a.m. in the HaAmakim area, approximately five projectiles were identified as coming from Lebanon. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome ground defense system, while a number of projectiles were identified as falling in open areas. On Monday evening, sirens were also heard in the city of Haifa. The IDF said that approximately five projectiles were identified as crossing Lebanon into Israeli territory. Meanwhile, dozens of IDF fighter jets scrambled for another wave of strikes deep into Lebanon against Hezbollah terror targets, carrying out massive airstrikes in southern Lebanon in the latest attempt to force Hezbollah to end its 11-month-long assault on northern Israel. According to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Israel is destroying thousands of missiles and rockets aimed at Israeli cities and citizens.”
If Hezbollah terror group leader Hassan Nasrallah persists in launching rockets and drones into Israel in a show of solidarity with Hamas — a move that is taking a toll on both his organization and the Lebanese people — Israel’s current strikes could serve as a preparation for a possible ground invasion of Lebanon. Monday’s attacks are the latest in a series of operations targeting the Shiite group. An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed high-ranking Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil, along with other leaders of the elite Radwan unit. The operation came days after thousands of communications devices, mostly used by Hezbollah members, exploded across Lebanon. The explosions killed 39 people and injured around 3,000. Lebanon blamed Israel, but it has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. As Times of Israel columnist Lazaar Berman writes, “As Israel increases the pressure, it hopes that Hassan Nasrallah and his Iranian patrons will decide that the price of their ideological and practical support for Hamas is becoming unbearable. Nasrallah has insisted on the connection between the war in Gaza and the rocket fire on northern Israel; now Jerusalem is doing everything it can to sever the connection between the two theaters. Israeli leaders have not been shy about their plans.” In this vein, last Wednesday, Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF commander Herzi Halevi and other officials announced “the beginning of a new phase in the conflict. Specifically, Gallant said in a meeting with Israeli Air Force personnel at the Ramat David base that “the center of gravity is shifting north. We are shifting forces, resources and energy north.”
Earlier this week, the Security Cabinet revised its official goals for the war with Hamas in Gaza, including among its priorities “the safe return of northern residents to their homes.” For months, Israel has hoped and believed that a hostage deal with Hamas could lead to at least a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon. However, it now appears to recognize that the chances of a mutually acceptable settlement are very low in the near future, especially with IDF forces still positioned in the Philadelphia and Netzarim corridors and without exerting direct military pressure on Hamas. Meanwhile, Israel is increasing pressure on Hezbollah, but leaving plenty of room for Nasrallah to declare that the time has come to stop before it is too late for him too. In this sense, Benjamin Netanyahu said at a briefing last night: “Everyone is a target, even Hassan Nasrallah,” who has been hiding in an undisclosed location for years. If the attacks on Hezbollah’s missile arsenal do not force Nasrallah to stop his aggression, Israel could take further steps to increase the pressure. For example, it could attack Hezbollah’s stronghold in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut, and it is not out of the question that it could target Lebanon’s state infrastructure, in a clear attempt to force its fragile northern neighbor to comply with its obligation to prevent attacks from its territory. According to Lazaar Berman, “If Nasrallah does not back down, Israel may have no choice but to launch a ground operation. Israel has already begun preparing the ground for this possibility. The attacks on communications equipment have rendered Hezbollah’s tactical communications system ineffective, making it much more difficult for its commanders to transmit orders to fighters and receive accurate information from the field. In addition, hundreds, if not thousands, of Hezbollah fighters have been eliminated in the past 48 hours. The group’s main deterrent against Israel is its vast arsenal of rockets and missiles, particularly long-range ones. The more Israel can destroy these capabilities in advance, the less risk there will be to its home front and the less likely it will be for Hezbollah to strike at Israeli strategic sites.” Finally, as we write, US officials told CNN that Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have significantly weakened the terrorist group Hezbollah, potentially setting it back 20 years in its operational capabilities.
