Yesterday (Thursday), the northern front came into acrion with full force, as not seen for a while. The reports were numerous, stormy and undetailed, so we are here to make some order in the events:
– The day began with Israeli attacks in the Al-Khayam area, a Lebanese town slightly north of Metulla, at about 8 a.m., in response to the rocket fire carried out from Lebanese territory in the past two days.
Around 9 a.m., Hezbollah carried out anti-tank missle fire in 3 locations, simultaneously: At IDF forces at the Mount Hermon outpost (no damage), at Birnit base – the headquarters of the Northern Division (2 lightly wounded), and at the “Gibor Camp” near Kiryat Shmona, a brigade base (one seriously wounded). Such a plan requires a lot of preparation in advance, and good coordination.
– In response to the shooting, the IDF carried out intensive artillery fire at Hizballah’s launch stations. In addition, the IDF carried out intensive attacks on Al-Khayam against high-quality targets, including weapons stockpiles and a ammo truck.
In the afternoon, there were stormy demonstrations in Beirut by military pensioners whose budgets were cut, which included riots and a break-in to government offices. The cuts stem from the economic crisis that is affecting Lebanon, as well as the damage caused by the war (estimated yesterday at more than $1 billion, so far). At the same time, the Israeli Air Force carried out low-level “intimidation” flights in the skies of Beirut, in order to remind the Lebanese public who holds the real power.
In response to the Israeli attacks, Hezbollah fired artillery throughout the afternoon, and even fired anti-tank missiles at a house in Metula. 2 UAVs penetrated Israeli territory over the Jordan Valley, but were intercepted by IDF aircraft.
In response to these attacks, the IDF carried out a targeted strike in the town of Nabatiya, near the Litani river. A vehicle was attacked and its 2 inhabitants were almost certainly killed; but as of this moment, no name has been published – not by the IDF nor by Hezbollah.
In the end, it can be seen that most of the threats from Hezbollah were answered by IDF forces in the north. The balance of power between Israel and Lebanon is becoming clear, and it is obvious that Israel has capabilities greater than those of Hezbollah; we hope that these insights will penetrate into the Lebanese public, which will restrain the terrorist organization before the situation deteriorates into an all-out war.
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