The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released updated figures on Tuesday, detailing the scope of “Operation Arrows of the North,” an newly named, ongoing military offensive against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Since the early hours of Monday, the IDF reports conducting strikes on more than 1,500 Hezbollah targets across 200 areas in Lebanon.
Among the destroyed targets include:
– Approximately 400 medium-range rocket launchers
– Around 70 weapons depots
– Nearly 80 drones and cruise missiles
The operation has involved over 250 fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have completed nearly 3,000 flight hours. These aircraft have collectively dropped about 2,000 munitions on Hezbollah installations.
IDF officials confirmed that the majority of these strikes targeted homes being used by Hezbollah to store munitions. The military has emphasized its commitment to continuing these operations to “destroy Hezbollah’s capabilities and change the security reality in the north.”
In a significant development, the IDF confirmed the elimination of Ibrahim Muhammad Qabisi, the head of Hezbollah’s Missiles and Rockets Force. Qabisi was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 24, 2024, in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut.
Qabisi, a senior Hezbollah commander since the 1980s, oversaw the group’s missile and rocket operations, including the Precision Guided Missile Unit. He played a central role in planning missile launches targeting both Israeli military and civilian sites. The IDF stated that his elimination, along with several other senior commanders in the missile division, would severely impair Hezbollah’s military capabilities.
As the Israeli Air Force continues its campaign against Hezbollah, residents in northern Israel have faced a barrage of rocket fire from Lebanon. On Tuesday evening, more than 170 rockets were launched toward northern Israel within a three-hour span.
For the first time since 2014, rocket sirens were activated in coastal communities south of Haifa, including Neve Yam, Atlit, and Megadim. Two Hezbollah drones targeting Atlit were intercepted, while a third drone crashed. No injuries were reported.
In addition, sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee and surrounding areas, including Safed, Rosh Pina, and the Golan Heights. Several rockets were intercepted, and no injuries were reported in these locations.
However, in Rosh Pina, four rockets landed, with one striking a residential home. Fortunately, the residents were unharmed as they had taken shelter in a reinforced room, though the home sustained extensive damage.
In response to Hezbollah’s rocket fire, the Israeli Air Force launched a fourth wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Tuesday evening. Reports from Lebanese media indicate that five buildings were hit in the southern village of Maliki, resulting in casualties. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV network confirmed widespread strikes in nine locations.
Additional airstrikes targeted a house in the Bekaa Valley, resulting in five fatalities and six injuries, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
As “Operation Arrows of the North” continues, the IDF remains focused on neutralizing Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and missile capabilities, while Hezbollah’s retaliation underscores the escalating tensions along Israel’s northern border.
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