Hezbollah disrupting life in North, aims for attrition: Israeli media

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
23 Oct 2024 15:43

Israeli media discusses Hezbollah's abilities in breaking down life across "Israel", particularly in the North, amid the military's inability to stop its the Lebanese Resistance's rockets and drones.

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Settlers take cover as a siren warns of incoming rockets at the Tel Regev cemetery in the outskirts of Haifa, northern occupied Palestine, Monday, October 21, 2024. (AP)

Israeli media are extensively discussing Hezbollah's ability to continue pounding and inflicting damage on the occupied North, as well as the Islamic Resistance's vision for the war.

In an op-ed for Haaretz, Israeli journalist and military analyst Amos Harel said that Hezbollah is still capable of disrupting life completely in the north, and imposing a "siren routine" in the center.

"What the Israeli army cannot confirm is that the risks and dangers of rockets and projectiles have ceased," a matter that concerns the entire northern region, stretching to the Jordan Valley and southern outskirts of Haifa, Harel noted.

The General Staff estimates that there are still tens of thousands of short-range rockets and mortar shells, along with thousands of medium and long-range missiles, which pose a potential threat.

As for the average daily rate of fire, it stands at around 200 rocket projectiles to the North, with some missiles targeting the center, in addition to drones.

"Despite the strikes that Hezbollah has endured, Israeli intelligence has no doubt that the recovery process within its ranks has already begun," Harel claimed.

Consequently, based on his observation, Harel alleges that "it is clear that Hezbollah's aim is a war of attrition."

⚡️(13h40) Rockets alerts in Kiryat Yam - north Haifa - Akko & surroundings pic.twitter.com/jAVz909Yx0
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) October 23, 2024

383 days of relentless threats

In the same context, the military correspondent for the Israeli Channel 13 stated that the North "continues to face a persistent threat from drones on the 383rd day of the war, resulting in casualties, with two killed yesterday."

He added that one drone launched Tuesday from deep within Lebanon forced millions of Israelis in the North into fortified areas and shelters.

Hezbollah also successfully targeted the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea with a bomb-laden drone, "meaning that Hezbollah aimed at the Prime Minister and his family," he added, noting that "it is not a coincidence that Netanyahu was not there over the weekend, amid concerns that this could happen again."

In response to a question about whether removing the threat of direct fire, while the threat of medium- and long-range missiles remains, would allow the return of northern settlers while the sirens continue and they seek shelter as in other places in occupied Palestine, one northern settler responded that "there is a significant difference between the north and the center."

She explained that "in Kiryat Shmona, the Galilee, and the settlements close to the border, for example, there are just a few seconds—close to zero—to reach fortified areas." She added that "50% of homes do not have a fortified space," so "to say that we should return and face the missiles as in Tel Aviv is not the same at all."

On Tuesday, Hezbollah’s Media Relations Officer, Mohammad Afif, confirmed that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, along with its control and coordination system, is in "excellent condition", adding that "Hezbollah's military and logistical support lines have returned to their previous state."

He also addressed the Israeli occupation leaders, saying, "Iron for iron, blood for blood, and fire for fire," referring to a tit-for-tat action by Hezbollah.

Afif vowed that the bombardment of the northern and central Israeli-occupied territories would continue with increasing intensity in both quality and quantity over time.