In early September 2023, the IDF revealed that the terrorist organization Hezbollah had established a site for the production and conversion of precision missiles in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley, near the town of Al-Nabi Shayth. As it turned out, that site was one of several manufacturing facilities dedicated to producing new, more effective weapons – the Iranian-designed drones.
On Thursday, the IDF confirmed reports about the assassination of the man in charge of these production sites, and there are reports of bombing missions deep inside Lebanese territory to eliminate the sites.
In mid-May, Hezbollah claimed to have introduced new missiles into the campaign against Israel, more than seven months after the start of the fighting in the north: when it accepted responsibility for firing on Mount Dov on May 12, Hezbollah claimed that it was using its new “Jihad Mughniyah” missiles.
Jihad Mughniyah was a prominent member of Hezbollah and the son of Imad Mughniyah, Hassan Nasrallah’s deputy and the terrorist group’s chief of staff. Jihad Mughniyah was killed in 2015 in an airstrike attributed to Israel.
According to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar network, those missiles are “unguided tactical missiles, with great destructive capabilities and a warhead weighing up to 120 kg., produced by Hezbollah.”
In recent days it has become evident that the use of UAVs by Hezbollah is increasing, as does their lethality. The terrorist organization hit the Tal Shamayim observation balloon near the Golani junction and documented for the first time using a UAV armed with an S5 rocket that was launched near Metula.
The Saudi Asharq Al Awsat confirmed Hezbollah’s use of more advanced weaponry, including drones capable of firing missiles, explosive drones, and the small type of guided missile known as Almas, or Diamond, that was used to attack the IDF base controlling the balloon.
An Air Force aircraft on Thursday attacked and killed the terrorist Muhammad Ali Nasser Faran, who was responsible for the production infrastructure and strategic and specialized weapons for Hezbollah in Lebanon. Arab media reported that an Israeli drone assassinated a “physics teacher.” Hezbollah issued an official announcement that the same physics teacher was a member of its ranks.
تشييع الشهيد السعيد محمد علي ناصر فران?? (ناصر) مدينة النبطية pic.twitter.com/ws2PJJnxmK
— Chamran (@Chamran46658883) May 23, 2024
In response to the repeated UAV attacks against IDF outposts in the north, Israeli forces have in recent days begun a series of attacks against special targets that are all related to Hezbollah’s precision UAV project, and some of the attacks have been carried out deep inside Lebanon.
According to the IDF, these attacks caused severe damage to the production project of the precision UAVs and arrays related to the project. Among the targets were warehouses, production systems of the precision missiles, outposts connected to the project, and R&D locations.
