Very loud, kinetic, destruction is taking place in southern Lebanon this Monday morning, with the IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in an unusual statement at 08:00, detailing what the heavy waves of IAF aircraft are going after:
“In the last few hours we have identified Hezbollah's plans to attack the citizens of the State of Israel. The IDF started attacks about an hour ago. In the near future, the IDF will attack terrorist targets in Lebanon, to remove the threats.
“To all the residents of the villages in Lebanon, in the near future the IDF will attack terrorist targets in Lebanon. We call on anyone who is near properties or inside houses, where Hezbollah hides weapons, to move away from them immediately. This is for your safety and protection. Hezbollah endangers you and your families. Hezbollah is planning to launch these weapons towards the territory of the State of Israel, stay away from them immediately for your own protection!
“The IDF acts and will continue to act to protect the citizens of the State of Israel, wherever it is required."
Along with the attacks, the IDF Spokesman’s Office, in Arabic, sent flyers, video clips, and broke into local radio programming and electronic media messaging in an “Urgent warning to the residents of the villages in Lebanon: “If you are in or near a building used by Hezbollah to store weapons or arms, you must: “Evacuate this building and get away from it immediately.”
The roar of jets overhead heading out and back—presumably from sorties over Southern Lebanon—began in the early hours of the morning and is continuing intermittently, as of this posting from our “safe room” in the Central Galilee.
Residents from Haifa on the Mediterranean, in a line eastward to, and including the Golan Heights, are on high alert. The Tzfat Municipality, like many other locales sent out warning notices:
”In accordance with the defense policy of the Home Front Command, even today the restrictions will continue in the north and in Tzfat in particular:
“1. Gatherings are limited to 10 people outside and up to 100 people in a building.
“2. Work is permitted in a building or place with access to a protected space within 30 seconds. ”3. No educational activity, including special education, informal education, summer camps, studies in yeshiva and academy. The institutions will continue distance learning and a detailed message will be sent to parents from the institutions' managers. Also, all activities of the classes in the community centers and the culture hall are cancelled.”
Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, and Army Northern Command chief, Maj.-Gen., Uri Gordin, met with regional council leaders on Sunday. They discussed forward planning and expectations for the developing operation to blunt and eliminate the threat of heavy rocket and exploding drone fire into northern and Central Israel; Hezbollah fired over 80 heavy-payload rockets and explosive UAVs into civilian and military areas across the central and lower Galilee throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning. Please see my previous post for more on that.
A senior Israeli cabinet official, quoted by Israeli reporter, Yishai Cohen:
"We are on the path to an all-out war with Hezbollah, we don't want it, but we don't fear it." We will return the residents of the north to their homes safely, Hezbollah will understand this the hard way, since last week we have been leading and not being led and this will continue in the coming days and weeks.”
"What has been nauseating infuriatingly maddening to we Israelis is having thousands of rockets, drones, ballistic missiles fired us from 5 countries and enemy territories and, when we retaliate, with precision, against a murderous hateful enemy that want to exterminate us, the cynical politicians aided by an even more cynical media accuse us of bringing about a regional confrontation.
“This has to stop! Barry Shaw, Senior Associate for Public Diplomacy Israel Institute for Strategic Studies”
Thanks for the update. Your posts provide the on-the-ground reality MSM sorely lacks. Be safe. 🙏
Thank you for these posts David.