Hezbollah launches rockets, drones at Galilee, Hezbollah Emboldened By U.S. Decisions?

Hezbollah launches rockets, drones at Galilee

Rocket lands in border town causing damage, fire, while Iran-backed terror group claims responsibility for drone strike on Metula; Arab media says military base in Safed also hit hours after IDF kills 4 in targeted attack near Tyre

Hezbollah on Thursday targeted northern Israel with attack drones and rocket fire with at least one rocket landing in the border town of Shlomi in the Western Galilee, causing a brush fire

"The rocket fell not 50 meters from houses," a local resident said. "The mountain was on fire and the blast was felt in near-by homes." Windows shattered but no injuries were reported in the attack.

Hezbollah said it had struck Metula in the Upper Galilee with a suicide drone while Lebanese and Saudi media said a military base in Safed was also hit. Intercepts were seen in the sky over the city.

The IDF said two drones were intercepted before crossing the border from Lebanon. Strikes were carried out during the day, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.

The military also said at least five Hezbollah terrorists were killed in IDF attacks, four of them reportedly died in a targeted attack on a car near the coastal city of Tyre. Eye witnesses told reporters that more than one missile was fired in the attack.

According to the IDF since Sunday, forces attacked some 75 Hezbollah targets, 20 of them on Wednesday alone.

Hezbollah may be emboldened by US arms decision - analysis

SETH J. FRANTZMAN

Israel may be playing down the impact of the arms delay, but it is music to Hezbollah’s ears, and the Iranian axis in general.

Hezbollah threats Thursday afternoon caused air-raid sirens to sound in 30 communities in northern Israel.Hezbollah has been increasing its attacks on Israel since May 5. This coincided with the tensions in Gaza and a Hamas attack on Israel on May 5. It also coincided with reports in media that the US is withholding certain munitions from Israel.

The US decision to pause a shipment of 1,800 munitions of 2,000-lb. bombs and also 1,700 of 500-lb. bombs may be seen by Hezbollah as a sign that it can escalate it attacks against Israel. Hezbollah follows Israeli and foreign media closely. It often re-reports stories from Israeli media to confirm its own assumptions. Hezbollah killed two IDF soldiers on May 7 in a drone attack and killed another IDF soldier on May 8.

Hezbollah has also absorbed losses in the past several days because the Hezbollah-Israel clashes tend to be proportionate. Hezbollah said several people were killed on the road to Tyre on May 9 in a strike it blamed on Israel

Hezbollah's drone capabilities

It appears Hezbollah is now increasingly using drones to attack Israel. Hezbollah is proud of its new drone capabilities. Al Mayadeen, a Beirut-based, pro-Iranian news channel, reported on May 9: “It is noteworthy, in this context, that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah – introduced drone weapons in the battle of ‘Al-Aqsa Flood,’ targeting Israeli sites and gatherings.”

Hezbollah has used drones to target Iron Dome batteries in Israel, the report said. It may have learned this tactic from the Houthis, the Iranian-backed group that Hezbollah works with in Yemen. The Houthis used drones to target Saudi air defenses several years ago.

“The Islamic Resistance [Hezbollah] possesses an integrated system of military capabilities, especially with regard to the declared air force, which is represented by drones, as the party possesses reconnaissance, assault and attack drones,” Al Mayadeen reported.

Hezbollah also has a plethora of other weapons. At a recent Alma Research and Education Center conference, one panel discussed “Hezbollah – Between Intentions and Capabilities or Between a Terror Organization and a Social and Political Movement in Lebanon.” Tal Beeri, head of the Alma Center’s research department, said one of the main threats is Hezbollah’s precision-munitions project.