Tension on the northern border has reached its peak in the past two days, following Israel’s double-pronged technological attack on Hezbollah’s pagers and communications, which led to dozens of fatalities and thousands of injuries. At the same time, Division 98 ceased its activities in the Gaza Strip and went up to the northern border, the Cabinet put the “return of the residents of the north” into the official war targets, and the Minister of Defense announced the transfer of the IDF’s weight to the northern border. There is no doubt that Israel is more serious than ever about its intentions and willingness to harm Hezbollah and restore quiet to the northern border.
Yesterday afternoon, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah delivered a well-publicized speech in which he admitted to the severe blow his organization suffered, but did not express a willingness to withdraw from his positions (which link the northern front to the southern front), and even stated that “the actions of the enemy (i.e., Israel) can be seen as a declaration of war.” At the same time, the terrorist organization carried out dozens of attacks on the northern border, including the firing of a heavy missile on Metulla that caused heavy damage, the firing of anti-tank missiles that resulted in 8 wounded, and 2 killed by an explosive drone whose names were published – Tomer Kern and Nail Fuarsa.
While Nasrallah was speaking, the Air Force launched a series of attacks throughout southern Lebanon, which continued into the depths of the night. Hundreds of bombs were dropped at various locations, and some even compared the incident to the “fire belts” the IDF used during the first stages of maneuvering in the Gaza Strip. Towards morning, the IDF announced that hundreds of launchers aimed at the northern communities were destroyed in the attack, where Hezbollah intended to fire in order to avenge the death of its operatives. In light of the immediate thwarting of the shooting, the IDF announced this morning the lifting of restrictions imposed on the northern communities in the evening, which included staying near protected areas.
This morning deceptive silence fell upon the northern border – on the one hand without alarms and attacks (except one rocket against Metulla), but on the other hand with very clear intentions: Hezbollah wants revenge, a strong and hurtful revenge; and Israel is willing to use more force to achieve its goals. It is clear that the situation is very volatile, and the entire world is following with vigilance. However, recent events have shown that in the end, Israel has the upper hand, in force and intelligence, in defense and in attack.
