The IDF announced Monday morning that it had begun extensive strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon following the detection of an intent to fire extensively at Israel. The IDF said that Monday’s strikes are expected to be more significant than Sunday’s and will last a long time. The IDF spokesperson called on Lebanese residents to stay away from houses where weapons are stored (see our earlier report: Watch: IDF Identifies, Destroys Cruise Missile inside Lebanese Home).
לאחר הודעת דובר צה”ל: בדרום לבנון מתפרסמים תיעודים רבים של תקיפות צבאיות@ItayBlumental @nurityohanan pic.twitter.com/9aZamNUGgr
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) September 23, 2024
Israel has apparently decided to significantly escalate its attacks in southern Lebanon, and the call to residents to stay away from homes with weapons inside means that Israel is already attacking inside populated areas, with a greater chance than before of harming civilians. This could in turn provoke a harsher Hezbollah reaction and the start of a full-scale war. At this point Hezbollah has been avoiding this level of escalation, while Israel is pursuing it, knowing that it has a rare window of opportunity to attack while the terrorist group is in a state of confusion and disorientation, as its communications systems have been demolished.
Al Hareth tweeted (below): “The screams of terrorists are ecstasy, the fire belts are artistic paintings that establish peace, and the sound of their explosions is the most beloved sound to our ears. Good morning.”
صراخ الإرهـ.ـابيين في #جنوب_لبنان طرب، والأحزمة النارية لوحات فنية ترسي السلام، ودوي انفجارها أحبّ الأصوات إلى مسامعنا.
صباح الخير ❤ pic.twitter.com/pfVp8v9Vnj
— الحارث الموسى | Al Hareth (@hareth003) September 23, 2024
Al Jazeera reported that the IDF attacked a series of villages in southern Lebanon Monday morning, including Mis al-Jabal, Khula, Tayba, Markaba, Tayba, Ayitaron, and Al-Harmel. The Lebanese channel al-Mayadeen reported that one person was killed and six wounded in an attack in the village of Bodai in the Baalbek region, more than a hundred kilometers from the border.
Hezbollah-affiliated Telegram pages in Lebanon sent a message in response to the IDF’s messages ordering residents to evacuate and stay away from homes with missiles inside – claiming that the text messages were intended to create panic among civilians and reveal the locations of weapons caches (You see people avoiding a house – fire).
JAFFAR tweeted: “It is on fire and it is about to collapse.”
يشتعل و #حزب_الله على وشك الانهيار pic.twitter.com/F3j0v8I484
— JAFFAR (@AboJAFFAR2020) September 23, 2024
“It is important to say that the enemy knows nothing and bases its information on examining the general movements, including those of civilians,” the Hezbollah Telegram sites warned. “That’s why we ask all people and supporters of the resistance to be a shield and a wall in a way for the resistance through their awareness of the danger they face. We emphasize that the resistance does not put civilians in danger and the best proof of this is that the enemy attacks forested areas because he knows that our resistance protects all of you. Therefore, he assumes that the resistance missiles and weapons are in canyons and on the hills.”
At this point, however, it is doubtful rank-and-file Lebanese civilians (assuming there are any remaining in south Lebanon) would trust Hezbollah messages over IDF warnings.
