A drone attack in Beirut this past weekend first attributed to Israel and then alleged to have been two Iranian drones that went astray may indeed have been an Israeli operation after all, according to a source quoted by the Reuters news agency.
The unidentified source, quoted by Jerusalem-based journalist Dan Williams, “confirms Israel used drones in the weekend strike in Beirut, saying it ‘dealt a blow to Hezbollah’s capabilities in the realm of precision-missile manufacturing.’ “
According to the source, a regional security official, “Israel’s message to Hezbollah here, writ large, was: Keep manufacturing, and we will keep hitting you.”
If the terror organization does not take the hint and continues to escalate its responses, the official warned, “I imagine that Israel would then step up its strikes and wipe out this capability altogether. The details of these sites are known. The ball would now appear to be in Hezbollah’s court.”
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization said it intends to respond with a “surprise” strike against Israel, according to the report.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the two drones and neither has Iran or anyone else.
Hezbollah has ruled out any possibility of a full-fledged war, despite the escalation of tensions.
“I rule out that the atmosphere is one of war; it is one of a response to an attack,” emphasized Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem in a televised interview on Tuesday night. “Everything will be decided at its time.”