Hezbollah Rockets Strike Israeli Regional Military Headquarters

Hezbollah media described the surprisingly intense volley of rockets fired across its facilities in southern Lebanon in a formal statement released early on August 12.

“The fighters of the Islamic Resistance on Monday, 12-08-2024, bombarded the newly established command headquarters of the 146th Division in Jaatoun with Katyusha rocket barrages,” the announcement explained.

The 146th Division in Jaatoun, or Giaton as it is sometimes written, is an Israeli Defense Forces’ airbase which was only recently constructed. It is located in territories Israel occupies in northern Israel, not far south of the Lebanese border.

The statement went on to explain that the attack both part of Hezbollah’s continuing retaliation for Israeli forces striking into urban areas in southern Lebanon, and in support of the Palestinian cause in Gaza. Hezbollah has said it will continue its attacks on Israel until there is a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

The explosive shelling appears to have taken place as part of what multiple intelligence forces suggested would an independent substantial escalation of its own attacks on Israel, taken in direct response to Israel’s recent assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh while attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran is reportedly still readying its own projected serious counterstrike which Pezeshkian said ”will make the terrorist occupiers regret their cowardly act”.

Though not part of Hezbollah’s formal statement, it is likely the timing of the assault was triggered by Israel’s deadly airstrike this weekend on Ma’aroub, a town in southern Lebanon. A total of 12 people were killed by Israeli Defense Forces during that strike, which the IDF claims was an attack on a Hezbollah stronghold there. Half of those killed were children.

According to independent reports, the rockets that did reach near their targets reportedly did little damage to the base itself. They did end up setting fire in the western part of Galilee.

Israel says there were no injuries as the shells reached the ground.

While Israel says there were no injuries as the shells reached the ground, of note this time was that most of the 30 Katyusha rockets Hezbollah fired were successfully able to evade interception by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Independent reports from Israeli sources confirmed that in public press reports. If true, this could mean Hezbollah, perhaps guided with military intelligence Iran has gathered, has come up with a means of literally “flying under the radar” of the Iron Dome. It may also have found a means to overwhelm Israel’s automated defense system.

At the same time as both Hezbollah and Israel appear to be intensifying their airstrikes on either side of the Israel-Lebanon border, Hezbollah has begun evacuating its headquarters facilities in Beirut. This appears to be in anticipation of Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel growing even more intense in the coming days, and the possibility that the Iranian revenge missions could begin in just a matter of days.

On August 11, the day before the Hezbollah strike on IDF’s 146th division headquarters happened, Israel issued a statement about its preparations for Iran and Hezbollah’s expected next moves.

“The IDF and the security establishment monitor our enemies and the developments in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran and Hezbollah, and constantly assess the situation,” said IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari in a formal statement. “IDF forces are deployed and prepared in high readiness. If it becomes necessary to change the instructions, we will update about it in an orderly message on the official channels.”