JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Although the Hezbollah attacks on Israel ceased for a few days this week, apparently due to the Eid Al-Adha festival which fell this week, the war of words between Israel and the terror organization continues unabated.
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On Wednesday, as US mediator Amos Hochstein tried to negotiate an agreement between Beirut and Jerusalem, he said that Israel had issued an ultimatum, saying that if Hezbollah aggression continued they would attack by June 26.
In response, Hezbollah said that they were prepared for such an attack and warned that Iran would take part in hostilities between Israel and the terrorist group. Hezbollah claimed that they are only targeting military facilities while Israel attacks civilians in an attempt to escalate tensions.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah published footage from what it said was one of its reconnaissance drones flying over northern Israel, including the Haifa port, as Israel said it struck down more suspected drones over the Western Galilee.
It was unclear when the roughly 10 minutes of footage released by Hezbollah were captured, and the IDF did not immediately comment on the video.
🟡 Hezbollah Intelligence:
This is what the hoopoe brought back!
– A Hezbollah drone filmed all the sensitive areas, chemical storage sites, oil storage sites, and the entire Haifa port. pic.twitter.com/vabbh9zJsw
— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) June 18, 2024
In November, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the terror group had been sending surveillance drones over Haifa. In recent months, the group has increasingly launched drones, including explosive-laden ones, at northern Israel.
The footage of Haifa’s coastline, some 27 kilometers (17 miles) away from the Lebanese border, appeared to include a portion of an Israeli Navy base, as well as several warships and infrastructure said to belong to the Navy’s submarine unit, Shayetet 7.
In addition to the Haifa port, the footage included shots of what Hezbollah said were strategic military locations across northern Israel, including the Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems, as well as footage of a residential neighborhood in nearby Kiryat Yam.
Hezbollah claimed that the drone returned to Lebanon unimpeded, and the Israeli media called it “the most humiliating day ever in Israeli military history.” Shortly after the footage was published, the IDF said it had shot down three suspected drones, over the Western Galilee, but did not respond to the footage of Haifa.
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz however reacted sharply to the Hezbollah threats, warning that Hezbollah would be destroyed in the event of a “total war.”
“We are very close to the moment when we will decide to change the rules of the game against Hezbollah and Lebanon,” Katz said on X, quoted in a statement from his office. “In a total war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be hit hard.”
“iron beam” would solve most of this.