Hezbollah matches escalation, strikes farthest Israeli military HQ yet

By Ali Halawi
Source: Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Military media
26 Mar 2024 23:50
9 Shares

Islamic Resistance fighters target a number of key Israeli sites, in support of Palestine and in response to attacks on Lebanon and civilians.

A Hezbollah fighter is seen setting up an anti-tank guided missile for a cinematic video, promoting the Resistance's military capabilities, which was released on February 25, 2024. (Islamic Resistance in Lebanon/Military Media)

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah has launched a series of attacks on Israeli military sites and forces on Tuesday, including attacks on a major Israeli command headquarters and the "Meron" Air Traffic Control site.

Matching Israeli occupation forces' escalation, which was witnessed in aggressions on Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the Resistance responded with attacks on sites on strategic Israeli sites, including the "Yarden" Barracks, which was hit by Hezbollah's rockets for the first time since October 7, 2023.

الإعلام الحربي في المقاومة الإسلامية ينشر مشاهد من عملية إستهداف المقاومة الإسلامية قاعدة يردِن التابعة لجيش العدو الإسرائيلي في الجولان السوري المحتل.#الميادين #الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/Z0X8DZHUZ7
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) March 26, 2024

Hezbollah also conducted operations in response to attacks on civilians and their homes in South Lebanon, including overnight attacks on "Shomera" and "Shlomi". Hezbollah also launched a top-tier operation, targeting the highly-prized "Meron" base in response to an Israeli drone attack on aal-Suwairi in Western Bekaa and attacks on the city of Baalbek.

A list of Hezbollah's operations on March 26

Hezbollah fighters targeted a building appropriated by Israeli soldiers for military use, dealing direct hits to the site in "Shomera" at 12:45 am.
Concurrently, Hezbollah fighters attacked another building used by Israeli occupation troops in the "Shlomi" settlement.
On Tuesday morning, the Islamic Resistance launched another attack in response to Israeli attacks on Lebanese towns, targeting two structures in "Avivim" utilized by occupation soldiers, using appropriate weapons.
Half an hour later, at 10:45 am, Hezbollah fighters targeted a grouping of Israeli occupation soldiers in the "Biranit" Barracks, dealing direct hits to the intended targets.
Soon after, the Resistance launched a follow-up attack on another grouping of Israeli occupation soldiers at the same site.
Nearing noon, Hezbollah launched its eighth attack so far on the "Meron" Air Traffic Control military base, firing a number of anti-tank guided missiles at the site which is located more than 8 km behind the Israeli line of withdrawal and constitutes the highest point in 48' occupied Palestinian territories.
At 11:00 am, Hezbollah fighters targeted an Israeli infantry force in the vicinity of the "Shtula" settlement, killing and injuring all its crew members.
Responding to attacks on civilians in South Lebanon, Hezbollah artillery units targeted Israeli occupation soldiers in the "Hanita" settlement at 2:50 pm.
Just 10 minutes later, artillery units targeted another Israeli infantry force in the "Hanita" woodlands, dealing direct hits to the force.
Hezbollah fighters then fired a barrage of 50 improved Katyusha rockets toward the "Yarden" Barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan, which has become the main Israeli military HQ after confrontations broke out last year. The site is located approximately 18 km away from the nearest point of the Israeli line of withdrawal, marking Hezbollah's response to an Israeli aggression on the Bekaa Valley.
At 5:05 pm, Hezbollah fighters targeted an Israeli military force in the Zibdine Barracks in the Israeli-occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms.
Later, at 5:30 pm, Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a grouping of Israeli occupation troops in the vicinity of the Roueissat al-Alam in the Israeli-occupied Lebanese Kfar Chouba Hills.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon mourned three of its fighters on Tuesday evening on the path to al-Quds:

Martyr Ibrahim Nasser al-Din, "Malak", from the city of Hermel
Martyr Ali Ratib al-Jawhari, "Karbala", from the city of Hermel
Martyr Ali Fawzi al-Akhras, "Abu Trab", from the town of Kfar Tibnit in South Lebanon

Last night, Hezbollah also mourned martyr Hussein Ali Dbouk, "Abu Ali", from the town of Shabriha in southern Lebanon.

Why are Tuesday's operations important?

The Islamic Resistance has been launching attacks across the Lebanese-Palestinian border in support of the Palestinian people and their Resistance in the Gaza Strip, since October 8, 2023. Close-range and direct attacks on Israeli military sites, assets, and troops have usually come in this context, while occasionally launched in response to Israeli aggressions on Lebanese border towns.

As the Israeli military command expanded its range of targets deep into Lebanese territories, such as the city of Baalbeck, the Resistance's command responded to escalation by widening and deepening its attacks on Israeli military sites.

Most of the attacks, in response to escalations, targeted Israeli military sites in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, however, the most recent operation targeted the deepest Israeli site yet in the same area.

According to the group, the "Yarden" military site, also known as the "Machne Yarden" Barracks, is the Israeli military command's headquarters "during the times of war." When measured to the nearest point from the Israeli line of withdrawal from Lebanon, the "Yarden" Camp is 17.6 km away from the nearest liberated point. However, Hezbollah fighters are expected to have fired a large barrage of 50 rockets from a farther distance, due to logistical and security reasons.

A satellite view of the "Machne Yarden" military base in the occupied Syrian Golan. (Google Maps)

The site itself is built on approximately 1 km2 of usurped Syrian territories and hosts a number of units affiliated with the Israeli military's Central Command. Among these forces is the Israeli 636th Nitzan Field Intelligence Unit. It is worth noting that in Hebrew, "Yarden" corresponds to Jordan. According to this publicly available information, the latest Hezbollah attack marks the first attack on an Israeli military site related to the Israeli Central Command, rather than the Northern Command, which is responsible for commanding operations on the Northern Front with Lebanon.

In detail, Tuesday's operation was preceded by yet another precision attack on Israeli assets in the "Meron" Air Traffic Control Base. "Meron" hosts a number of high-tech Israeli radar systems, including early detection systems, which have been optimally utilized in the base due to its altitude, which allows for a complete scanning of the topography to the north of it.

Hezbollah's attacks on "Meron" have disrupted the Israeli military's control over military aircraft, as well as the functionality of Israeli anti-air systems. Since the first attack on "Meron," Israeli anti-air systems have experienced difficulty in detecting low-flying objects, as well as cruise missiles launched by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against targets in occupied territories.

Moreover, the attack on "Meron" marks the eighth attack on the base, the first of which was launched on January 6, 2024, eventually leading to the complete destruction of the base's equipment. The Israeli military command has replaced the equipment on multiple occasions, only to be met with the Resistance's strategic and long-range anti-tank guided Kornet-EM missiles.