Rambam Health Care Campus seen in Hezbollah drone footage. Photo: X.
The Israeli army says it approved battle plans for an expanded attack on Lebanon without giving any details or timeframe
Concerns have grown in Israel following Hezbollah’s release of close-up drone footage documenting sensitive sites across the north.
As Israeli jets continue to pound the south of Lebanon, the Israeli army has said that battle plans for an expanded attack on the country have been approved, but Hebrew media outlets and officials have expressed worry over the video and the implications it bears for a major war with Hezbollah.
On 19 June, the towns of Al-Burghuliya, Khiam, and others came under Israeli bombardment following Hezbollah attacks on Israeli sites near the Lebanese border early on Wednesday and the day before.
Hezbollah announced the deaths of three of its fighters on Wednesday morning.
The towns of Taybeh, Odaisseh, Jebbayn, and Aita al-Shaab were also hit by Israeli warplanes on Tuesday night.
The head of the Israeli army’s Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, and head of the Operations Directorate, Major General Oded Basiuk, have approved battle plans for a wider-scale attack on Lebanon, the army announced on 19 June.
“Operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon were approved,” and the military is “accelerating the readiness of the forces on the ground,” the Israeli army said in a statement.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz threatened on Tuesday: “We are very close to the moment when we will decide to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon. In a total war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard.”
Yet after the Lebanese resistance released its video of several sensitive sites in Israel’s north, namely the port of Haifa and the warships and military sites in its vicinity, wariness of an expanded conflict with Hezbollah raised already prevalent fears of what the group is capable of.
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“The Hezbollah video conveys an unequivocal message to Israel, that the party is present inside Israel by the air, land and sea, and is planning what comes next, and that is capable of carrying out severe strikes,” Israel’s Channel 14 news outlet said, adding that the filming of this footage is “an Israeli security failure of the first degree … The situation in the north is much worse than we imagine.”
Israeli journalist and expert on Arab affairs, Jackie Hoji, said Hezbollah’s video conveys the message “that if Israel does not reduce its heavy fire in Lebanon, the party will be forced to use a greater force, and that Haifa is in its hands.”
The mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, also noted on 18 June Hezbollah’s use of “psychological terrorism” against settlers residing in the port city and across the north.
He also demanded “the government to come up with a plan for a massive defense of Haifa and to find a military solution in order to remove the threat from the north.”
The threats to Israel that were demonstrated by the Hezbollah video “need to be considered,” Yahav added.
ראש עיריית חיפה, יונה יהב: ״מהסרטון שפירסם היום חיזבאללה ניתן להבין שארגון הטרור היושב בלבנון מנסה להפעיל טרור פסיכולוגי על תושבי חיפה והצפון.
"אני דורש מהממשלה להביא תוכנית להגנה מאסיבית על חיפה ולמצוא את הפתרון הצבאי על מנת להסיר את האיום מצפון.
״אני תמה מדוע הרמטכ"ל והפיקוד… pic.twitter.com/K3kcvIs7V2
— יואב איתיאל מדווח כי (@yoavetiel) June 18, 2024
Hezbollah released the nine-minute video on Tuesday afternoon after launching its first operation in two days following the Eid al-Adha holiday, targeting a Merkava tank inside the Hadab Yarin military site near the Lebanese border.
WATCH | Hezbollah releases close-up surveillance footage captured recently by its reconnaissance drones, showing sensitive Israeli targets in the north – including Haifa Port, a number of Iron Dome Platforms, and military complexes. pic.twitter.com/R7uSdxQwc1
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 18, 2024
The drone footage showed several sensitive targets across the north, including factories associated with Israel’s Rafael defense technology firm, as well as warships and a submarine station inside the port of Haifa.
