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<h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Hezbollah's retaliation I: Rockets, overwhelming firepower, and drones</h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Manal Samhat</div>
<div class="gmail-meta-data">
<div class="gmail-reader-estimated-time">August 29, 2024<br></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>Through
Operation Arbaeen, Hezbollah meticulously delivered on its promise to
respond to the Israeli aggression on the Southern Suburb of Beirut,
reinstating the rules of engagement while avoiding an all-out war.</p><img src="cid:ii_m0fga5xa0" alt="bb33554a-3587-4ac8-b1ff-0c7103c817be.png" width="396" height="312"><br><div><ul id="gmail-content-slick-0"><div aria-hidden="false"><li>
An illustration of Hezbollah Commander Martyr Fouad Shokor,
along with the Lebanese Resistance group's fighters, drones, and targets
in occupied territories (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul
Chamas)
</li></div></ul>
<p>The dawn of August 25 saw salvoes of rockets and swarms of drones
flying from Lebanon toward occupied Palestine, each from a different
direction, heading to a particular target.</p>
<p>15 minutes after 5:00 am, right after Hezbollah's fighters performed the Dawn prayer, Operation Arbaeen started to unravel.</p>
<p>On this day, the world woke up to Hezbollah's retaliation that had
kept "Israel" on pins and needles for a little over three weeks.</p>
<p>It all started on July 30, when the Israeli occupation crossed all
red lines and targeted a residential building in the Southern Suburb of
Beirut.</p>
<p>The target was top Hezbollah commander <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/who-is-fouad-shokor--and-why-did--israel--target-him">Sayyed Fouad Shokor</a>,
whose martyrdom was confirmed the following day. Five civilians - three
women and two children - and Iranian advisor Milad Bidi were also
killed in the aggression. With this assassination, the Israeli
occupation crossed several red lines: targeting the Southern Suburb of
Beirut, targeting a residential building, killing civilians, and
assassinating a top commander.</p>
<p>Although Hezbollah's operation fell within the framework of
operations Hezbollah had been carrying out in support of Gaza since
October 8, its particularity is that it came to avenge the blood that
"Israel" had insolently spilled.</p>
<p>Ushering in a <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/you-will-shed-tears--we-entered-a-new-phase--nasrallah-to-is">new phase of confrontations</a>,
in his speech following the aggression and assassination, Sayyed
Nasrallah said, "We are ahead of a major battle where matters have
surpassed the issue of support fronts," announcing, "We are in an open
battle on all fronts that has entered a new phase."</p>
<p>He emphasized that any subsequent escalation "depends on the
reactions of the [Israeli] occupation," as he vowed that Hezbollah's
response would be "tough, wise, and calculated."</p>
<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/beirut-s-dahiya-bids-farewell-to-hezbollah-martyr-leader-fou">Beirut's Dahiya bids farewell to Hezbollah martyr leader Fouad Shokor</a></strong></p>
<h2>Then came the anticipated response</h2>
<p>At 6:11 am, the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance announced
the launch of an "initial response" to the assassination of Commander
Shokor and the aggression on civilians, on the anniversary of Imam <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-begins-response-to-assassination-of-martyr-fouad-s">Hussein's Arbaeen, hence the operation's codename</a>, by launching salvoes of rockets on border sites and a large number of drones deep into the occupied Palestinian territories.</p>
<p>In a statement, the Resistance clarified that the attack targeted
strategic Israeli military sites, adding that relevant details "would be
disclosed later on" in a speech by the group's chief.</p>
<p>The Resistance had struck multiple Israeli sites, military barracks,
and Iron Dome installations in northern occupied Palestine and the
occupied Syrian Golan with heavy salvoes of rockets in phase one of the
operation, paving the way for swarms of drones heading to their targets.</p>
<p>The statement was concluded with emphasis that the Resistance remains at the <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-s-retaliation-for-martyr-shokor-separate-from-gaza">highest level of readiness</a>,
prepared to respond decisively to any Israeli violation or aggression,
warning to deal heavy blows to the enemy, particularly if civilians are
targeted.</p>
<h2>'Indeed We shall take vengeance upon the guilty'</h2>
<p>Later, Hezbollah released another statement that started with the
Quranic verse, "Indeed We shall take vengeance upon the guilty,"
confirming that its fighters had successfully completed the "preliminary
response".</p>
<p>In his speech a few hours later, at 6:00 pm, Hezbollah
Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah explained that the operation
included 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.</p>
<h3>Phase one</h3>
<p>In detail, Hezbollah's fighters initiated phase one of Operation
Arbaeen, engaging enemy sites and positions throughout the border with
occupied Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan with hundreds of
Katyusha rockets, implementing the overwhelming firepower tactic to
enable phase two. Eleven targets were struck from different directions
to distract and deplete the Israeli air defenses to let the drones
through. </p>
<p>Following is the list of targets in the occupied Palestinian
territory and the occupied Syrian Golan that the Resistance successfully
struck in phase one:</p>
<p>1. Beit Hillel Barracks - Al-Sahel Battalion HQs</p>
<p>2. Al-Za'oura emplacement - Fixed emplacement of the 769th brigade artillery battery</p>
<p>3. Keila Barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights - Air and missile defense HQs of the 210th division</p>
<p>4. Yoav Barracks - Artillery and missile battalion base of the Northern Command</p>
<p>5. Nafah base - 210th Division HQs</p>
<p>6. Yarden Barracks - Artillery regiment and armored brigade of the 210th Division HQs</p>
<p>7. Ramot Naftali Barracks - Border company center </p>
<p>8. Ein Zeitimm - Northern Corps HQs </p>
<p>9. Meron Airbase - Military air traffic control base </p>
<p>10. Neve Ziv - Artillery emplacement of the 282nd Brigade</p>
<p>11. Ga'aton HQs - Newly established HQs for the accommodation of the 146th Division's leadership</p>
<p>340 Katyusha rockets were launched, and while many were intercepted,
as was the plan, others impacted their targets directly. "Our initial
plan was to launch 300 rockets in this operation, but we ended up
launching 340," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah affirmed in his speech, as he
detailed the specifics of the operation. </p>
<h3>Phase two</h3>
<p>Following the success of phase one, with the Israeli air defenses now
exhausted, phase two was initiated, which saw the launch of an
unspecified number of drones. With the Glilot base and the Ein Shemer
airbases in their crosshairs, Hezbollah's drones made their way from
Lebanon to occupied Palestine, achieving their missions fully.</p>
<p>While Israeli media and the Israeli prime minister himself claimed
that all the drones were downed, Sayyed Nasrallah affirmed in his speech
that a considerable number of the drones did reach their targets and
impacted them directly. "A significant number of drones hit their
intended targets, but the enemy is keeping all relevant details
concealed," he affirmed.</p>
<p>The main targets were not specified in <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/severe-retaliation-awaits--israel--for-shokor-s-assassinatio">Hezbollah's statements</a>
that announced the operation, and it was left up to Sayyed Nasrallah to
make the revelation. In his speech, Hezbollah's Secretary-General
announced that the primary targets of the operation were the central
Glilot base of Israeli military intelligence Aman and Unit 8200, located
near Tel Aviv, and the Ein Shemer airbase.</p>
<h2>Ein Shemer</h2>
<p>The Ein Shemer base constitutes a multi-layered air defense missile
base as revealed by an identification card released by Hezbollah's
Military Media Unit. </p>
<p>It is equipped with Arrow and David's Sling anti-air systems, as well
as an Iron Dome platform. It houses the headquarters of the Menashe
Territorial Brigade, as well as an airport designated for drone testing.
It is located east of the occupied city of al-Khudaira (Hadera) and is
72 km away from Lebanon.</p>
<h2>Glilot</h2>
<p>The Glilot Base is the central Israeli base of the Military
Intelligence Division, Aman. It is located on the northern outskirts of
Tel Aviv and is 110 km away from the Lebanese border. It is home to the
central hub of Unit 8200, which is responsible for communications and
cyber intelligence. It hosts a school for military intelligence and a
group of military leadership colleges. The base also houses Aman's
Communications Battalion.</p>
<p>The Military Media later posted a more detailed identification card, breaking down the different sections encompassing the base.</p>
<p>As per the footage, it includes a maintenance area, a satellite
dishes area, the Aman Command Center, a Communications Battalion area, a
kitchen and a dining area, Unit 9900 buildings, and Unit 8200's HQ.</p>
<h3>Israeli Unit 8200 </h3>
<p>It is considered one of the largest IOF units and is affiliated with
the Aman intelligence body. It constitutes one of the three main units
utilizing technology and artificial intelligence and is associated with
the IOF's Intelligence Division.</p>
<p>It is located 112 km from the Lebanese-Palestinian border and 1.5 km
from north Tel Aviv. The Unit is situated near Herzliya at the Glilot
junction, where the Mossad HQs is located.</p>
<p><span><strong>Among its responsibilities are:</strong></span></p>
<p>- Commanding electronic warfare, espionage, and surveillance;<br>- Issuing early warnings and feeding the AI system of the air, land, and naval forces;<br>- Working closely with the Sayeret Matkal military unit of the military's general staff;<br>- Playing a key role in "Israel's" assassinations abroad, including the assassination of top commander Sayyed Fouad Shokor.</p>
<h3>Why these particular targets</h3>
<p>The process of choosing these particular targets was detailed in
Sayyed Nasrallah's speech. As a preliminary step, the Resistance, upon
deliberations, ruled out targeting Israeli settlers or infrastructure.
As specified by Sayyed Nasrallah, they had to be military, directly
related to the assassination of the martyred leader, and located deep
inside the occupied territory and close to Tel Aviv. Based on these
criteria, Hezbollah chose its targets.</p>
<h2>Fighters' on the ground movement drives 'Israel' out of mind</h2>
<p>As Hezbollah's fighters were preparing the launch platforms, Israeli
aircraft, be they warplanes or drones swarming Lebanon's airspace, must
have detected some kind of movement on the ground, driving the
occupation forces crazy and prompting them to conduct blind airstrikes
across a wide area, dubbing them later "preemptive strikes".</p>
<p>With hundreds of strikes targeting several southern Lebanese villages, was the operation thwarted? </p>
<p>The answer lies in the hundreds of rockets and drones launched from
Lebanon toward occupied Palestine, eyeing two particular targets.</p>
<p>This was explained in detail in Sayyed Nasrallah's speech, as he
debunked Israeli claims made before, throughout, and after the
operation, calling them "sheer lies". </p>
<h3>Israeli narrative debunked</h3>
<p>Debunking Israeli claims of carrying out airstrikes that nipped
Hezbollah's operation in the bud by carrying out alleged "preemptive
strikes", the Lebanese Resistance leader affirmed that the enemy had no
intel whatsoever and "did not thwart anything," 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. </p>
<p>To rub salt into the Israeli wound, he affirmed that the initial plan
for phase one was to launch 300 rockets, but they ended up launching
340.</p>
<p>"What was planned was achieved to the fullest," Sayyed Nasrallah asserted.</p>
<p>With a simple mathematical operation, of course based on Israeli
claims of destroying thousands of missiles and missile launchers, and
supposedly only one fighter was operating each launcher, then
Hezbollah's martyrs should have been in thousands, which is nowhere near
the truth, as Hezbollah mourned only two fighters that day. This brings
into question the Israeli claim which stated that "thousands of
Hezbollah rocket launchers were struck simultaneously by some 100 IAF
fighter jets in the preemptive attacks."</p>
<p>Not only that, but as Sayyed Nasrallah confirmed that no rocket
launchers were targeted before the operation, adding, however, that only
two were struck, yet only after the operation was completed.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the entirety of the drone launch platforms remained intact both before and after the operation.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the Lebanese Resistance leader 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
supposing it was a preemptive strike, "it did not have any impact
whatsoever on today’s operation." </p>
<p>On the enemy's claims of bombing strategic and precision missiles
that were prepared to target Tel Aviv, Sayyed Nasrallah stressed that
the Resistance had no intention, in the first place, of using such
weapons in this particular operation. So where did the precision weapons
"Israel" claimed it destroyed come from?</p>
<p>Yet, being a master of psychological warfare, Hezbollah's leader left
the door open, leaving the Israeli occupation on edge as he affirmed
that this does not mean that the Resistance would not use such weapons
in the future, or the near future to be more precise.</p>
<p>He further pointed out that the sites targeted by the occupation
forces that morning on the outskirts of towns were either empty or had
been evacuated at the request of martyr Fouad Shokor prior to his
assassination, digging a bigger hole in the Israeli story of thwarting
the operation.</p>
<p>Sayyed Nasrallah's debunking found its way into Israeli media as the <em>Israeli Army Radio</em>
itself reflected on details of August 25's operation, admitting that
the IOF did estimate that Hezbollah did not attempt to launch precision
missiles in this particular attack in order to maintain this capability
and keep it intact thus far.</p>
<p>The Israeli outlet also admitted, "We did not know exactly what
Hezbollah's attack plan was and the exact targets it planned to hit, so
we launched a broad attack on thousands of missile launchers to hit as
many potential launchers as possible," admitting to the blind strikes
that were not based on any intel.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"We also did not know the expected time of the attack."</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Read more: <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/fact-check--hezbollah-s-secretary-general-debunks-israeli-cl">Fact-check: Hezbollah's Secretary General debunks Israeli claims</a></strong></p>
<h2>'Israel' does what it knows best; censorship</h2>
<p>Had Hezbollah's operation been thwarted and had the military's
preemptive strikes yielded any results, why would the Israeli occupation
ban coverage of the damage inflicted by Hezbollah's strikes deep inside
the occupied territories?</p>
<p>The gag order was indeed issued, as reported by Western and Israeli media.</p>
<p><em>The Telegraph</em>, quoting sources, reported that Netanyahu
issued a gag order, demanding reporters to obtain permission before
publishing on “damage caused by rocket attacks to strategic
infrastructure or to military bases” to avoid “harm to Israeli forces on
the ground."</p>
<p>Why implement such a ban if Netanyahu's story checks out? Too easy to answer.</p>
<h2>Mission accomplished?</h2>
<p>One might wonder: with censorship implemented, how can Hezbollah's
operation be verified amid all the Israeli claims of success? Again,
being a master of psychological warfare, Sayyed Nasrallah linked the end
of the operation to facts on the ground; i.e. monitoring its outcomes.</p>
<p>"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.</p>
<p>What a way to instigate engagement amid the enemy's obscurement of the truth regarding the two targeted bases.</p>
<p>Israelis have long blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
for the status quo and have repeatedly accused him of prolonging the war
even when the result is compiling one failure over the other. And the
latest "preemptive strikes" charade is nothing but another similar
failure.</p>
<p>Among the initial results of Operation Arbaeen on that day, as reported by Israeli media, were:</p>
<p>- Shutting down Ben Gurion airport<br>- Cancelling flights to and from the occupation entity<br>- Air France canceling flights to Tel Aviv on Sunday<br>- Suspending lectures at Haifa University and Technion<br>- Closing public beaches in Haifa and Tabaraya<br>- Dozens of housing units were damaged in the North<br>- Raising military readiness and alert to the highest level<br>- Declaring a state of emergency across the occupation entity</p>
<h2>Meticulous, irrefutable response</h2>
<p>With its meticulous complex operation, which entails both military
and intelligence elements of the highest level, Hezbollah did not give
the Israelis, mainly bloodthirsty Netanyahu, the pretext to wage a
comprehensive war, not that the Israeli occupation needs such a pretext,
but it all lies in the deterrence equation the Lebanese Resistance
party imposed and is trying to uphold. As put by Sayyed Nasrallah once,
the group will never be dragged into a war of Netanyahu's choosing or
timing.</p>
<p>With its "tough, wise, and calculated" response, Hezbollah reinstated
the rules of engagement Netanyahu shattered in his aggression on the
Southern Suburb of Beirut.</p>
<p>Operation Arbaeen stands as yet another proof of Hezbollah's
technical and military prowess, and the fact that Sayyed Nasrallah
indicated in his speech that ballistic and precision missiles have not
yet been employed constitutes another deterrent factor, alongside
"Israel's" defeat in the 2006 July War, that prevents "Israel" from <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/top-us-general-says-hezbollah-s-response-reduced-risk-of-reg">launching an all-out war on Lebanon</a>.</p>
<p>While the Lebanese Resistance leader reassured the residents of
Beirut and called on them to return to their homes, empowering them with
a sense of tranquility and calm, he vowed 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, asserting that any hopes of silencing the support fronts
will be futile.</p>
<p>This is the case as hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers, who
are nowhere near returning to their settlements on the
Lebanese-Palestinian border any time soon, remain trapped in areas to
which they've been displaced.</p>
<p>Some have even gone as far as accusing Netanyahu of sacrificing the
North on the altar of maintaining Tel Aviv's security, decrying the fact
that they were turned, by Hezbollah's almost daily operations, into <a href="https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/with-radwan-force-on-border--we-are--sitting-ducks---israeli">sitting ducks</a> within the Resistance's range of fire.</p>
<p>With Hezbollah's operation and his subsequent speech, Sayyed
Nasrallah shattered the remnants of the internal front of a crumbling
Israeli administration, proving, yet again, that "Israel" is indeed
weaker than a spider's web.</p></div></div></div>
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