Israeli Haaretz raises concerns about Hezbollah's Hoopoe Mission 2
4 Min Read
Hezbollah's Hoopoe Mission 2 exposed additional various sensitive sites that could be within its arsenal of targets in "Israel".
-
An aerial shot showing an artillery battery for the 769th brigade (Screengrab from Hezbollah's Hoopoe Mission 2)
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on the release of the second episode of Hezbollah’s video series Hoopoe(Al-Hodhod) Mission by the Islamic Resistance's war media in Lebanon, which presents an extensive survey of numerous Israeli military bases and troop gatherings.
The video notably features the phrase "before targeting" at the corner of the scenes, indicating that from a military perspective, a preparatory stage for selecting targets before launching an attack. Haaretz commented on this by stating, "This is another hint from Hezbollah that Israel's continued air superiority over all regional countries is not a guarantee for protecting its airspace."
The Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah on Tuesday broadcast the second episode of the Hoopoe series, featuring high-resolution aerial reconnaissance footage of intelligence bases, command centers, and camps belonging to the Israeli occupation forces in the occupied Syrian Golan.
The Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in #Lebanon published part II of the #Hoopoe video showcasing footage of a reconnaissance drone surveilling vital and sensitive regions in occupied Syrian territory, Golan.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 9, 2024
1/6 pic.twitter.com/QGkZoTjXnk
The Israeli newspaper acknowledged that Hezbollah possesses aerial capabilities that reach deep into occupied Palestine for intelligence gathering prior to prospective operations, and it is perfectly capable of acting on this intelligence. It further highlighted the strike on the strategic Tal Shamayim base in northern occupied Palestine as an example.
The article expressed concern over Hezbollah's ability to gather highly recent visual intelligence in real-time, including unit deployments in the north and the status of various bases.
The footage identifies intelligence installations, artillery radars, Iron Dome batteries, and other systems, documenting combat units such as infantry, armored forces, and artillery batteries.
Over the past nine months of ongoing resistance operations, Haaretz admitted that "Hezbollah has proven it can not only film these bases from the air but also target them with missiles and suicide drones."
'Psychological warfare'
Several Israeli media outlets have commented on the second edition of the Hoopoe mission, which included aerial reconnaissance footage of Israeli intelligence bases, command headquarters, and military camps in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, all of which were captured with high precision.
Israeli Channel 12 emphasized that the release of the second edition indicates that Hezbollah "is also conducting a psychological war alongside the ongoing conflict in the north."
Israeli national security expert Kobi Marom told the channel that the video is "another form of warfare demonstrating Hezbollah's extensive capabilities," noting that the occupation "has a problem intercepting Hezbollah's drones."
Noam Amir, a military correspondent for the Israeli newspaper Makor Rishon, added that "it's not just about seeing Israel from above; there is also intelligence on army deployment areas," explaining how Hezbollah was able to strike areas where soldiers gather, inflicting serious injuries.
The 10-minute video showcased footage of six strategic electronic reconnaissance sites in the occupied Syrian Golan; the western and eastern Shlagim sites, the Astra site, the Yisraeli site, the Avital site, and the Tel Fares site.
The video also showcased new points and roads for Israeli forces outside the aforementioned sites, established during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, along with fortified shelters for soldiers.
Experts have previously explained to Al Mayadeen that the missile illustrated next to the target card has guiding fins at its front, symbolizing a precise missile, which is a message Hezbollah intended to convey in the video.
Hezbollah's video concluded with the word "to be continued," followed by additional aerial reconnaissance footage from Safed and Tabarayya, to be featured in the next episode of the series.
This episode of the Hoopoe follows the first nine-minute-and-a-half episode, titled "This is what the Hoopoe came back with," in which the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon released footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.
