Hezbollah is now planning on hitting Tel Aviv, in the midst of all of the tensions in the air between Israel and Lebanon and Iran, as we read in Haaretz:
Israel, in line with policy, so far hasn’t launched a preemptive strike on either Iran or Hezbollah, but is instead preparing to thwart the attack with help from America and other countries. It is also preparing a harsh response if the attack causes mass casualties.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Israel Defense Forces killed five Hezbollah operatives in an airstrike on southern Lebanon. Shortly afterward, according to Hezbollah’s own statement, the organization launched a swarm of drones at the Golani Brigade’s Shraga Base south of Nahariya.
One of the interception missiles fired at the drones apparently missed its target and exploded on a road north of the base. The attack wounded 19 civilians and soldiers, one of whom is in critical condition.
Hezbollah has already expanded the range of its strikes southward of where it usually attacks and is also trying to show its ability to launch more lethal attacks.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech in Beirut on Tuesday that his organization’s drone attacks expose Israel’s weakness. In the past, he said, the IDF would intercept drones in Lebanon’s airspace. Now, “we’re getting all the way to Acre, despite Israel’s increased alert level.”
Some communities in the Galilee and the Golan Heights asked residents to stay close to their shelters Tuesday evening.
Preparations Israel has made for the Iranian-led axis’ retaliation are focused on Hezbollah’s efforts to land significant blows on Israel Defense Forces bases and other defense facilities in the north, and also in the greater Tel Aviv area. The analyst closest to Nasrallah, Ibrahim al-Amine, the editor in chief of Al-Akhbar, wrote as much on Tuesday.