IDF major escalation attacking dozens of Hezbollah targets in Wadi Saluki

IDF major escalation attacking dozens of Hezbollah targets in Wadi Saluki

YONAH JEREMY BOB

The IDF on Tuesday attacked dozens of Hezbollah targets in the Wadi Saluki village of southern Lebanon in a significant escalation between the sides.

Using both air strikes and artillery, the IDF blanketed the area with missiles and shells, where it said Hezbollah had concealed large numbers of military buildings, infrastructure, and weapons.

The village is slightly West of Kriyan Shemona and Menara in the Upper Galilee. 

According to the IDF, Hezbollah has repeatedly used the area to carry out attacks against both Israeli soldiers and civilians.

Other than its extensive use of the village and a wide opening to hit many targets in a specific area, there was not necessarily an expectation that the IDF would hit Wadu Saluki more in the future versus another dozen or so villages where Hezbollah also operates.

On Sunday, Hezbollah killed two Israeli civilians when it fired an anti-tank missile at a civilian residence in Yuval Village. 

Though that was the only civilian death in the area, Hezbollah also fired anti-tank missiles at a variety of other civilian locations.

This came not long after Hezbollah attacked a key IDF air defense base on January 6 and the IDF Northern Command headquarters on January 9

Hezbollah is escalating attacks

Likewise, Hezbollah's escalation came after the IDF has spent recent months gradually escalating attacks against Hezbollah forces in various southern Lebanon villages in order to push them back to an area around the Litani River.

In addition, the IDF has taken credit for killing Hezbollah's drone chief in southern Lebanon and has been accused by Hezbollah of killing its Radwan chief as well as Hamas's Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri while he was visiting Beirut.

IDF Northern Commander Maj. Gen. Uri Gordon on Tuesday said that the IDF was ready for an even larger escalation if that would be what it takes to press Hezbollah back from the border and return security to Israel's northern residents who evacuated the area in October.

 "We are more prepared than ever...we can [go to war] tonight if needed," Gordin said. "We struck many terror cells in the North, more than 150 were destroyed, and a lot of their capabilities have been taken away.

 "We are working to peel away Hezbollah's capabilities and pushing it as far back as possible. There is much more to do to bring the desired result of improved security in order to return northern Israeli residents to their homes."

It was unclear if Hezbollah would itself now escalate its attacks - it has 150,000 rockets and mortars, including longer-range precision rockets which can hit most of Israel - or whether both sides would step back from the recent escalation.