Israel is currently engaged in a massive air campaign to degrade the military capabilities of the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon. Called “Operation Northern Arrows” by the IDF, the Israeli strikes hit southern and eastern Lebanon. Beirut faced a targeted strike as well.
Just last week, Israel killed most of Hezbollah’s senior command, weakening the organization’s ability to properly function.
And just days earlier, Israel carried out a phenomenal, successful attack when it exploded the beepers and handheld radios of Hezbollah terrorists and operatives over two days. Those blasts killed at least 39 people and wounded nearly 3,000.
Now, Israel is pummeling Hezbollah targets in Lebanon to destroy rockets and rocket launchers, many of which are hidden in civilian homes. The Hezbollah-led health ministry in Lebanon said there were 492 casualties as of Monday night.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was changing the balance of power in the north.
“We are facing complex days,” he warned. “We do not wait for a threat,” he said. “We anticipate it. Anywhere, in any arena, at any time. We eliminate senior officials, eliminate terrorists, eliminate missiles.”
He called on Lebanese civilians to leave areas that are used by Hezbollah to attack Israel.
In a video message to Lebanese civilians, Netanyahu said, “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you, it’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons.”
“Don’t let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones,” said Netanyahu. “Don’t let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon. Please, get out of harm’s way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”
Hezbollah claims its attacks are connected to Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Oct. 7, Hamas attacked Israel and thousands of terrorists, and Palestinian civilians poured across the border, butchering 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 250 back to Gaza.
The next day, on Oct. 8, Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel. Crucially, these rocket attacks began even before Israel launched its campaign to destroy Hamas and bring back the Israeli hostages.
Since then, Hezbollah has launched approximately 9,000 rockets at Israel, causing the internal displacement of approximately 60,000 Israelis who live in towns and communities near Israel’s northern border.
Considering the latest escalation, the Pentagon has announced it will send more troops to the Middle East.
On Monday, Israeli military officials showed journalists a video of an air strike in which Israel says it destroyed a modified Russian cruise missile, hidden inside a house.
The military also showed a skeletal 3D mock-up of a village in southern Lebanon, full of concealed weapons and equipment.
But military officials have said that the army is not currently poised to carry out a ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
“We are currently focusing on Israel’s aerial campaign only,” a senior official said on Monday.
It seems that for now, Israel will see what it can achieve from the air. A former commander, speaking on Israel’s Channel 12, said that so far, the air force had shown only a fraction of its capabilities.
But there’s only so much Israel can achieve from the air.
At some point, if Hezbollah does not lay down its arms and stop attacking Israel, an Israeli military ground incursion will be unavoidable.