[News] We targeted the depth of the occupied territories: Sayyed Nasrallah

[Anti-Imperialist News]

english.almayadeen.net
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/we-targeted-the-depth-of-the-occupied-territories--sayyed-na>
We targeted the depth of the occupied territories: Sayyed Nasrallah
Al Mayadeen English
August 25, 2024
------------------------------

Hezbollah's Secretary-General codenames today's response to the Israeli
aggression on Beirut's Southern Suburb and the martyrdom of leader Fouad
Shokor "Operation Arbaeen".
[image: e4054fcb-38cf-40fa-a752-e813aba5acdf.jpg]

   - Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, during the
   ceremony honoring martyr Fouad Shokor (Screengrab/Al Mayadeen)

The primary targets of today's operation - launched in response to the
assassination of martyred Commander Fouad Shokor
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-begins-response-to-assassination-of-martyr-fouad-s>
- were the central Glilot base of Israeli military intelligence Aman
section and Unit 8200 cyber unit, located near Tel Aviv, and the Ein Shemer
airbase, confirmed Hezbollah Secretary-general Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Dubbing the response Operation Arbaeen in a speech today, Sayyed Nasrallah
reflected on the details of the operation and debunked Israeli claims that
preceded and followed it.
Operation Arbaeen

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the codename Operation Arbaeen was chosen
deliberately as the world commemorates the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein. He
specified that the operation was set to commence after the dawn prayer,
after the Resistance fighters had everything set in place, precisely at
5:15 am.

Concerning the delay in the response, he confirmed that the Resistance was
prepared to take action from day one following the martyrdom of Commander
Fouad Shokor. However, the delay was intentional, serving as part of the
strategy for punishment.

He stressed that the waiting period was also meant to allow the Resistance
to assess whether the response would be coordinated across the Axis of
Resistance or handled by each front individually and to make way for the
negotiations, as the ultimate goal was to halt the aggression on Gaza.
Why Glilot?

Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted that the Glilot base is located 110 km from
the Blue Line between Lebanon and occupied Palestine and 1,500 meters from
Tel Aviv's periphery, placing it just outside Tel Aviv. He added that the
operation's second target was the Ein Shemer airbase, situated 75 km from
Lebanon and 40 km from Tel Aviv.

He confirmed that "a significant number of drones hit their intended
targets, but the enemy is keeping all relevant details concealed, but the
days and nights will reveal the truth of what happened there."

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the operation entailed two phases. The
initial phase was focused on targeting sites and barracks in northern
occupied Palestine with the hundreds of intended rockets to exhaust and
deplete the Iron Dome and interceptor missiles, which paved the way for
phase two, which saw the swarms of drones heading toward their intended
targets.

Regarding the guidelines set by the Resistance for selecting the said
targets, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that they had to be military
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israeli-vessel-hit-kills-soldier-during-hezbollah-s-response>,
not civilian, directly related to the assassination of the martyred leader,
and located deep inside the occupied territory and close to Tel Aviv.
'Israeli narrative full of lies': Sayyed Nasrallah

In response to the occupation's claims of thwarting an attack on Tel Aviv,
the Lebanese Resistance leader explained, "Our initial plan was to launch
300 rockets in this operation, but we ended up launching 340," affirming
that the enemy "did not thwart anything."

"What was planned was achieved to the fullest," Sayyed Nasrallah asserted.

He emphasized that the Israeli account of events was "full of lies,"
reflecting the inherent weakness of the Israeli entity. He pointed out that
no rocket launchers were targeted before the operation, adding, however,
that only two were struck, yet only after the operation was completed.

Meanwhile, the entirety of the drone launch platform remained intact both
before and after the operation.

Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that "the enemy's claims about bombing strategic
and precise missiles that were prepared to target Tel Aviv are sheer lies,"
stressing that the Resistance, with a clear and precise strategy, had no
intention of using such weapons in this particular operation. Yet, this
does not mean that the Resistance would not use them in the future, or the
near future to be more precise, according to Sayyed Nasrallah.

He further pointed out that the sites targeted by the occupation forces
this morning on the outskirts of towns were either empty or had been
evacuated at the request of martyr Fouad Shokor.

Debunking Israeli claims of carrying out airstrikes that nipped Hezbollah's
operation in the bud, the Lebanese Resistance leader affirmed that the
enemy had no intel whatsoever, stressing that all its raids an hour before
the operation were the result of the natural movement of the fighters on
the ground in preparation for the operation.

Sayyed Nasrallah further debunked Israeli claims that the Resistance’s
intention was to target civilians, as he detailed the aforementioned
guidelines the Resistance followed in choosing its targets, one of which is
it not being civilian.

On Israeli claims that the military carried out preemptive strikes in
Lebanon, Sayyed Hassan affirmed that "all the raids launched by the enemy
did not target the area of operation" and that "this was nothing less than
an aggression," before adding that supposedly it was a preemptive strike,
"it did not have any impact whatsoever on today’s operation."

In a related context, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that the Resistance launched
drones from the Bekaa for the first time, confirming that they successfully
crossed the borders into occupied Palestine despite the long distance.
Terms of completing the response

Sayyed Nasrallah emphasized that the Resistance would monitor the outcome
of the operation, especially amid the enemy's obscurement of the truth
regarding the two targeted bases.

"If the outcome is satisfactory and achieves the intended goal, we will
consider the retaliatory operation complete, but if the result is not
sufficient [as per the Resistance's terms], we reserve the right to respond
at a time of our choosing," he maintained.

Hezbollah's Secretary-General concluded that the Resistance will remain
steadfast in its support for Gaza, its people, Palestine, and the nation’s
sanctities, regardless of the circumstances, challenges, or sacrifices,
noting that today's operation “may benefit the Palestinian side or the Arab
side in terms of negotiations."

He emphasized that “the message to the enemy and the Americans behind it is
that any hopes of silencing the support fronts are futile, no matter the
sacrifices, particularly on the Lebanese front.”
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