A senior Israeli Air Force official discussed Israel’s multi-arena war, focusing on Gaza while addressing Hezbollah’s threats and operational strategies.
JERUSALEM POST STAFF
SEPTEMBER 24, 2024 22:09
A senior Israel Air Force official stated that Israel is in a “multi-arenas war,” Maariv reported on Tuesday.
According to the senior official, the main arena Israel is currently fighting at is in Gaza, where “we attacked all night with dozens of strikes, [and] are maneuvering with the Southern Command.” However, he further stressed that “we are operating defensively in other arenas: Yemen and Iraq, and monitoring what is happening in Iran.”
The senior official then explained that the “operational reality” in Israel’s north is being changed, as “Hezbollah has built up its capabilities for years.”
He added that Hezbollah has two main branches: the first “is a raid branch with commando forces,” and the second branch “is a missile branch.” He then expanded on the latter, saying it “has been established along the entire [northern] front [of Israel]. We are talking about thousands of missiles deployed in homes and yards throughout southern Lebanon.”
He stated, “Hezbollah has endangered the residents of Lebanon twice: the first time by storing weapons inside homes, and the second time when the IDF spokesperson instructs these residents to leave their homes while Hezbollah tells them to stay. The IDF has approached the citizens directly. At the same time, the IDF is operating an intelligence network that assesses the evacuation before launching strikes. The IDF is determined to thwart Hezbollah’s intentions to operate against Israel from within the population. We are conducting operations while evaluating strikes to minimize civilian casualties.”
Damage in Israel’s North following multiple Hezbollah rocket barrages on September 22, 2024 (credit: MDA SPOKESPERSON)
The senior Air Force official then emphasized that Israel is “determined to eliminate the threat,” while also “acting to prevent harm to [Lebanese] civilians.” He then explained that the operation in Lebanon was a synchronized air campaign led by the Northern Command and based on gathered intelligence.
Continue strikes while minimizing civilian casualties
“The level of damage to targets has never been seen before,” he stated, explaining that Hezbollah has both vulnerabilities and firing capabilities. “We see [Hezbollah’s] attempts. Our interception capabilities are fantastic.” Nevertheless, he emphasized that the public should continue to adhere to “proper behavior” and enter protected spaces.
“In the end, we will strike Hezbollah and deny its capabilities. Our goal is to return the residents of the north to their homes,” he stated.
“Hezbollah understands that we did not strike Beirut, we only carried out targeted operations in the city,” the senior official said. According to him, Hezbollah is now aware that “if it acts recklessly, it will lose its assets,” and emphasized that the IDF’s actions “unequivocally impact” the organization’s capabilities.
He then explained that Israel’s recent actions against the terrorist organization “succeeded in disrupting its operations” as it is “unable to execute what it had planned.” He then emphasized that Israel “will continue [with the] assassination attempts and keep surprising them.”
Concerning Hezbollah’s ability to target the air force, he said: “There are threats to the air force. Will we continue to fly and attack? Yes, we will continue to fly over Lebanon.” He added, “No Western country has contacted its enemy and told them to leave their homes because we are attacking you. The air force could have executed the operation in half the time, but we allowed the population to evacuate the area.” He claimed, “The final result is that there aren’t many civilian casualties; most of the casualties are terrorists.”
Avi Ashkenazi contributed to this report.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-821580.
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