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Hezbollah drones pound Israeli base deep into occupied territories

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Military Media + Israeli media
10 Aug 2024 23:37
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Hezbollah drones swarmed the Mahava Alon base to the southwest of Safad, dealing direct hits to Israeli occupation soldiers and officers.

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A Hezbollah Ababil-T-type one-way attack drone flies toward its target the occupied Lebanese town of Qadas near the Lebanese-Palestinian border, on November 10, 2023. (Islamic Resistance in Lebanon/Military Media)

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah attacked an Israeli military base, 17.5 km deep into the Israeli line of withdrawal from Lebanon, on Saturday evening, via a swarm of one-way attack drones.

According to Hezbollah's Military Media Unit, the drones directly impacted the positions of Israeli occupation officers and soldiers in the Mahava Alon base, causing confirmed casualties to the intended targets.

Hezbollah's Unmanned Air Force launched the swarm of one-way attack drones at the base, marking the first attack on the military facility since October 8, 2023. The action came in response to an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese city of Saida, which killed Samer al-Hajj, a commander in Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades in Lebanon.

Why is the strike on the Mahava Alon base significant?

The Mahava Alon base was targeted by Hezbollah on Saturday via a swarm of drones, described as the largest since operations in support of Gaza began in early October last year.

Mahava Alon largely serves Israeli occupation forces as a training base for recruits with special programs that work on integrating non-Hebrew-speaking Jews into the occupation's military, among other groups. Each group has been designated its own company and training program meant to integrate settlers into the military's forces.

A satellite image of the Mahava Alon base to the north of the occupied Palestinian town of Maghar. (Retrieved from Google Earth)

There are various sections in the base, including a garrison manned by Israeli ground forces. According to local media sources, the base also contains the Northern Command's war reserve stocks.

The base is located to the southwest of the Tabaraya Lake and is 17.5 km away from the Israeli line of withdrawal from Lebanon.

Hezbollah's Unammaned Air Force perfects precision attacks

Hezbollah's deep attacks, via unmanned aircraft, are characterized by relatively slow-moving aerial objects that travel over multiple operating Israeli bases, sites, and air defense systems. The successful strike on the Mahava Alon base reasserts Hezbollah's ability to precisely bombard a set of dozens of strategic Israeli sites in the occupied Upper al-Jalil, Tabaraya, and the Golan, where a substantial bulk of "Israel's" military infrastructure is located.

The context of the strike is also worth noting, as it coincides with a period of heightened Israeli military and security readiness in anticipation of a stern response to "Israel's" assassination of Hezbollah commander martyr Fouad Shokor in the Southern Suburb of Beirut, as well as Iran's retaliatory strike for the murder of Hamas leader martyr Ismail Haniyeh in its capital city.

Israeli media outlets reported that the swarm of drones bypassed several air defense systems, which attempted to intercept the aircraft, however, failed to do so. Initial reports indicated that at least 10 Israeli anti-air interceptors were fired at the swarm but failed to thwart the attack. It was also reported that the Israeli military command will investigate the incident, as it still has not determined the number of drones that infiltrated the occupation's airspace.

A video circulating in Israeli media shows the damage after the Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon conducted an operation targeting the Israeli Mahava Alon Base. pic.twitter.com/CGedFg80fE
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 10, 2024

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation's correspondent on the Northern Front confirmed that multiple explosions were heard as far as Tabaraya, adding that the occupation has "not witnessed such an attack with this number of drones in the north since the war began."

Moreover, Israeli settler social media accounts circulated reports of a drone crash at the entrance of the Gadot settlement 23 km to the northeast of the targeted base.

Sirens were also recorded in several occupation settlements across the Palestinian-Lebanese border, ranging from Shomera in the west to Yiftah in the east, more than 25 km apart. The incident indicates a possibility that Hezbollah's Unammaned Air Force launched what it described as "swarms of drones" from several points across the border, successfully exploiting the Israeli air defense strategy. The incident could also be related to other operations targeting other Israeli military assets in concurrence with the swarms attacking the Mahava Alon base.

The sirens recorded to the north of Tabaraya Lake could also point to a non-linear pathway that some of the drones took toward the base, which means that the flight path of the aircraft was possibly much longer than the direct distance of 17.5 km measured from the Israeli line of withdrawal from Lebanon to the Mahava Alon base.

The attack and the failed Israeli defenses resulted in at least five fires at distinct points across the occupied territories.

Hezbollah supports Palestinians, responds to Israeli aggression

The Resistance also launched multiple operations targeting Israeli assets across the border on Saturday.

Initially, Hezbollah fighters attacked and destroyed Israeli spyware installed in the Ramyah military site, using an FPV drone.

At 12:50 in the afternoon, the Resistance's artillery units shelled the al-Malikiyah military site, dealing direct hits to the intended targets.

Two minutes earlier, fighters had used unspecified "rocket weapons" to attack a grouping of Israeli occupation soldiers on a hill facing the Netu'a settlement.

Later in the afternoon, Hezbollah destroyed Israeli spyware at the Misgav Am military site.

The Resistance also launched an attack in response to Israeli strikes on the Lebanese towns of Teir Harfa and Ayta al-Shaab, firing a salvo of Grad-type rockets at the Eilon settlement.

At 5:30 pm Hezbollah fighters attacked the al-Ramtha military site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Chouba Hills. Five minutes later, its fighters attacked the Zibdine military site in the nearby occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms. Both attacks dealt direct hits to their intended targets.

Later, the Resistance destroyed military hardware the Carantina Hill after fighters fired anti-tank guided missiles at the target at 6:20 pm.

Hezbollah's Unmanned Air Force also launched a swarm of drones at a grouping of Israeli occupation soldiers, positioned in the vicinity of the Birket Risha military site, dealing precise hits to the intended targets. This operation came in response to Israeli attacks on civilians and Lebanese towns.