Hezbollah strike on key Israeli spying balloon 'grave' Israeli failure

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
16 May 2024 12:53
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Israeli media say this was Hezbollah's "biggest achievement" since the beginning of the war.

An Israeli Air Force surveillance balloon is seen near occupied Haifa. (Israeli Air Force account on X)

The Israeli occupation military confirmed that a sensitive military site was hit in a Hezbollah drone attack near occupied Tabarayya on Wednesday.

The occupation military said two suicide drones were launched toward Tabarayya, noting that one of them was shot down while the other hit a military base housing surveillance balloons.

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Hezbollah's second drone hit a sensitive security site housing a large surveillance balloon in Tal Shamaim near the Golani junction.

The newspaper's military correspondent, Yoav Zitun, suggested that Hezbollah's strike was in response to the assassination of commander Hussein Makki near the southern Lebanese town of Tyre on Tuesday.

Hezbollah had announced that its Resistance fighters launched an aerial attack using several kamikaze drones on the Israeli Ilaniya base west of Tabarayya, targeting part of the comprehensive surveillance and detection system of the Israeli Air Force.

صحيفة "يديعوت أحرونوت" العبرية: حزب الله ضرب موقع المنضاد التجسسي الضخم قرب طبريا بطائرة انتحارية يوم أمس وألحق به أضراراً جسيمة. pic.twitter.com/fKQltCQeG4
— يونس الزعتري #عين_على_العدو (@YounesZaatari) May 16, 2024

The Lebanese Resistance group confirmed that the specified targets were hit accurately, achieving the intended objectives of this limited operation.

Hezbollah added that the operation came in response to the assassinations carried out by the Israeli occupation forces.

'A grave failure'

Commenting on Hezbollah's operation near Tabarayya, Israeli media lamented the infiltration of the drones as "a grave failure." The media considered that, while an Israeli military facility being hit is a failure, the Israeli military's response to the attack is a continuation of failure.

The Israeli newspaper Maariv indicated that the strategic Tal Shamaim site was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems company and other Israeli and American companies. It highlighted that the targeted surveillance balloon was intended to be used as a warning tool for the Israeli Air Force.

According to Maariv, the examination conducted found that Hezbollah launched two explosive drones, one of which was detected and intercepted by the anti-air system, while the other was not detected and managed to fly over northern occupied Palestine for a long period, crossing dozens of kilometers.

'A strategic achievement for Hezbollah'

Avi Ashkenazi, a military analyst in Maariv, described the drone attack in Tal Shamaim as "extremely important in terms of its impact," adding that the Israeli occupation military is investigating the incident to determine whether the drone entered from the border with Lebanon, Syria, or other borders.

Ashkenazi reiterated that the attack is being "comprehensively investigated at the highest levels" as the latest incident was "very difficult and dangerous."

The military analyst said the estimations indicate that the drone entered through Lebanon, crossed a distance, and exploded near an Israeli military facility, causing further damages as well.

Israeli security and military affairs expert, Yossi Melman, said the fact that a drone successfully evaded the Israeli anti-air systems and reached the location of the large surveillance balloon in Tal Shamaim is a "strategic achievement for Hezbollah."

Meanwhile, the Israeli website Mivzakim stated that the infiltration of the drone represents a serious failure for the Israeli anti-air systems, adding that the Israeli occupation military is investigating the way Hezbollah succeeded in slashing the advanced system of the Israeli Air Force.

Israeli media also suggested that this was Hezbollah's "biggest achievement" since the beginning of the war, where it managed to successfully destroy one of the most expensive and advanced anti-air systems in "Israel".

The media pointed out that "Israel" intended to deploy multiple systems all over occupied Palestine through the targeted surveillance balloon, noting that the balloon is used as a key tool in the Israeli anti-air system against missiles and drones.

Experts explained that the targeted balloon, flying at an altitude of up to 4000 meters, detects threats from long distances and provides accurate information about them, before transferring the data to "Israel's" security systems, such as the Iron Dome or David's Sling.

It is noteworthy that, in recent days, Hezbollah has been targeting Israeli intelligence and surveillance means through top-tier Resistance operations.

Before the Tabarayya operation, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon engaged, in a single operation, three different targets related to an Israeli surveillance balloon in the Adamit settlement, north of occupied Palestine, meant to monitor and spy on Lebanon.

#الإعلام_الحربي في #المقاومة_الإسلامية ينشر مشاهد من عملية استهداف المقاومة وحدة الإدارة والتحكم لـ #المنطاد_التجسسي التابع لـ "جيش" الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في مستوطنة أدميت شمال فلسطين المحتلة.

#لبنان
#الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/6IbP083sEy
— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) May 14, 2024

In a report detailing the operation, Hezbollah announced the three targets as being: the launch base and the control equipment of the balloon, both of which have been successfully fully destroyed, as well as the team operating the equipment, which was directly hit, causing confirmed casualties between killed and injured.