News Digest — 9/23/24
‘Hezbollah Is Endangering You:’ Hagari Warns Lebanese Near Terror Targets To Flee South Lebanon
The IDF, around 6:30 a.m. on Monday (23rd), initiated a fifth column of massive air strikes on Hezbollah, especially in southern Lebanon, including further from the border than in some prior cases. Beginning Monday morning (23rd), the IAF attacked over 150 targets using dozens of fighter jets from all Air Force squadrons.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari, for the first time, issued a broad warning to the general public in southern Lebanon that if they had not already moved away from houses and other civilian buildings where they live and reside – and where Hezbollah has stored rockets or undertaken other operations – now they must leave those areas.
Hagari’s warning was unusual and different from mass evacuation warnings issued to date in Gaza.
The warning was the first sort of mass evacuation warning to southern Lebanese regarding areas where Hezbollah is operating.
Continuing in that vein, hundreds of thousands of southern Lebanese civilians have evacuated areas that the IDF has been attacking already for several months. So, a warning was issued to those who have not yet evacuated.
It was not clear whether the IDF suggested evacuating permanently, if in fact, their homes would be getting bombed due to holding terrorist assets.
Also, it was not like a Gaza evacuation, as Hagari did not yet suggest that the IDF would be invading with ground troops, but more that it would be striking with additional intensity from the air, including at civilian locations where terror assets have been located.
To illustrate his point, Hagari displayed an example of a southern Lebanese civilian location where the IDF, a few weeks ago, watched Hezbollah knock down some of the walls of a house in order to set up a camouflaged civilian location for the firing of a Russian-made DR-4 cruise missile, with hundreds of kilos of explosives.
“We are exposing Hezbollah’s tactic of hiding a cruise missile inside a residential home. The terrorists create a designated opening to launch the missile,” Hagari explained.
Hagari said that cruise missiles, which have been smuggled to Hezbollah through Syria, are a much larger danger than typical Hezbollah rockets because they fly lower and faster in a line-drive type fashion as opposed to rockets which fly slower and in an arch trajectory.
Next Hagari showed the IDF blowing up both a cruise missile and the civilian location where it was hidden, along with the Hezbollah terrorists.
“Here you see how we identified terrorists as they made an opening in a building, revealing the missile, in a precise strike. The IDF neutralized both the terrorists and the missile launch infrastructure just moments before the planned launch,” Hagari explained.
One of the purposes of Hagari’s public statements, which have subtitles in Arabic, was to broaden the warning to southern Lebanese civilians to leave such areas – another purpose was to preempt Western criticism for targeting civilian areas, and explain the IDF’s justification.
Under international law, civilian areas can be targeted if warnings are provided and if those areas have been used for military purposes.
In addition, the IDF said that it had shot down attempted aerial attacks from Iraq around 4:00 a.m.
Hagari warned the Lebanese civilians and emphasized, “Hezbollah is endangering you and your families. Hezbollah is planning to launch weapons against Israel, and you should distance yourselves immediately for your safety.”
Furthermore, the IDF sent out text messages to the southern Lebanese citizens urging them to stay away from Hezbollah structures, Israel media reported.
“If you are in a building containing Hezbollah weapons, move away immediately until further notice,” the text messages read.
Additionally, Hagari addressed the evacuated citizens of Israel’s north, stating that Israel “will do whatever is necessary to restore citizens to their homes and ensure their safety. We are operating in an undercover operation, and we will continue to protect the citizens of Israel,” he emphasized.
According to Ynet, ten years ago, Hezbollah launched a secret initiative to offer financial incentives to Shia households in southern Lebanon, if they allowed a room of their house to hold a long range missile launcher. Then a missile with a heavy warhead would be ready to launch from that room. The room would have a removable roof, allowing it to be fired quickly.
Ynet added that Hezbollah specifically chose poor Shia families who needed extra income. Reportedly Hezbollah purchased plots of land and constructed residential homes on them, offering them at a reduced price or for free if the families were willing to store missiles.
IDF Chief Of Staff: ‘We Gave A Clear Message To Hezbollah And The Middle East
Chief of Staff LTG Herzi Halevi made a statement on Sunday evening (22nd), following the massive barrage by Hezbollah and the IDF’s response.
The IDF is currently at its peak level of readiness. We will do what is necessary to deal with threats to Israel. If Hezbollah has not understood this, they will receive another blow and another, until they understand. We have other capabilities that we haven’t used yet; both in defense and attack and we are well prepared for the next steps,” Halevi said.
Last Friday (20th), we hit the top brass of Hezbollah’s elite force – the Radwan unit, as well as their senior commander, Ibrahim Aqil. This was very important to Hezbollah, I know how much it shakes the organization. These commanders have been working on plans to capture the Galilee for years. They are responsible for killing many Israeli citizens, including soldiers, over the years,” added Halevi.
According to Halevi, “they were planning the next attack. It could be that this is what they were discussing at their meeting on Friday afternoon (20th) – how to infiltrate Israel, murder civilians, kidnap IDF soldiers – we beat them to it.”
The attack on Hezbollah’s command is a clear message to Hezbollah as well as to the entire Middle East. We know how to get to anyone who threatens the citizens of Israel. The price that Hezbollah is paying is multiplying – the attacks will increase,” the Chief of Staff stressed.
Halevi mentioned that this is not the first time that we have inflicted strongly on the Radwan force, Hezbollah’s special raid force. Since the beginning of the war, we have been attacking and destroying their capabilities and infrastructure in various ways, using different methods non-stop. Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has systematically hit Hezbollah, day after day.”
For months, we have been wearing away at the infrastructure that Hezbollah has built over decades, with an emphasis on its launch and combat capabilities. We are keeping Hezbollah away from the border, which threatens the citizens of Israel, and those who live near the border who want to know that they will no longer be there. We eliminated over 600 terrorists, many of them from the top military ranks of Hezbollah. The price Hezbollah is paying is multiplying, our attacks will increase,” he said.
The Chief of Staff made it clear that Israel will not accept any force firing into its territory. “This morning (Sunday, 22nd) Hezbollah fired once more at the north. They are firing at civilians and no sovereign country can allow such a threat to its citizens and its sovereignty. Hezbollah is placing its launchers among Lebanese citizens and putting them at risk. We will do everything necessary to thwart threats against Israel. We will bring the residents safely back to their homes. If Hezbollah has not understood this yet, it will receive another blow and another blow – until they get the message.”
Halevi also spoke directly to the residents of the north. “I remember very well that you have not been in your homes for almost a year. I want you to know that the IDF is working around the clock, with all its force, to bring you back to your homes safely. We will not compromise on your safety, not yours, not your family’s, and not your children’s. We are working together with the official authorities, and they are showing extraordinary leadership skills in these difficult days. They deserve great appreciation from all of us.”
“For over eleven months, the IDF has been fighting with determination in the south and the north, as well as dealing with activity to the east – in Judea and Samaria, Yemen, Iraq and , of course, Iran. We are fighting to realize all our goals of the war – the dismantling of Hamas in Gaza, its commanders, its operatives, and its infrastructure. The return of all the hostages is an urgent mission. Even while we continued fighting in the north, we did not stop working to realize this important and urgent goal, as well as the return of the residents of the north safely to their homes. On behalf of the entire IDF, it is important for me to say, we salute those who are paying the heavy price of our war – the bereaved and wounded families. We remember how painful this price is. We will continue to follow in the paths of the fallen with persistence and strength,” Halevi concluded.
Israel’s Retaliation Against Hezbollah Is Completely Lawful – Peter Berkowitz
• On Thursday (19th), Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah called the attacks which detonated his militia members’ pagers and walkie-talkies “a war crime.” On Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah launched a campaign of aerial bombardment of northern Israel that has continued for more than 11 months. These are the acts of war. Most strikes hit civilian areas and have driven more than 60,000 Israelis from their homes. The laws of war bar targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure.
• In contrast, Israel’s targeting of Hezbollah communication devices conformed to the three major principles of the international laws of war.
• First, Israel’s operation was consistent with the principle of necessity, which limits military action to methods that are essential to the achievement of legitimate war aims. Igniting Hezbollah’s communication devices was a direct and efficient way of accomplishing the legitimate war aims of destroying the militia’s equipment and removing its fighters from combat.
• Second, the operation was consistent with the principle of distinction, which requires combatants to target combatants and military objects and not civilians and civilian objects. Hezbollah purchased the pagers and walkie-talkies for their commanders and fighters to facilitate their war to destroy Israel.
• Third, the operation was consistent with the principle of proportionality, which requires that attacks against legitimate targets not cause incidental loss of civilian life and injury to non-combatants that is “excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.” Targeting Hezbollah fighters by igniting their communications devices minimized collateral damage to a remarkable degree.
• Israel should be congratulated for its ingenious efforts to defend itself consistent with the international laws of war from a fanatical adversary that utterly repudiates the international laws of war.
The writer is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and was director of the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department (2019-2021)
Operation Grim Beeper – Michael Doran
This is one of the most astonishing intelligence operations in history. It is a reworking of the story of the Trojan Horse for the digital age. In real life, operations like this just don’t happen.
First, the Israelis thoroughly mapped Hezbollah’s supply chain. Second, they invented a special explosive charge small enough to be inserted inside a handheld device, sophisticated enough to be remotely activated, big enough to do real harm, and yet not so prominent as to call attention to itself.
It is the first mass targeted killing in history. The great genius of the operation is that the Israelis relied on Hezbollah to select their targets for them. If we map the attacked men, we map Hezbollah’s organizational chart, including the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon who is an IRGC officer. The large ratio of maimings to deaths is a sign of success. In military terms, a maiming is preferable because it ties up more resources and stresses enemy systems to a much greater degree.
Operation Grim Beeper is also morally laudable. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. It is an arm of Iran that has brought death and destruction everywhere it has gained a foothold. Hezbollah worked with Russia, Iran and the Assad regime to flatten large parts of many of the major cities of Syria. Iran and Hezbollah cannot be appeased, they must be deterred.
Pressure on Israel to de-escalate advances Iran’s and Hezbollah’s agenda. It was they who escalated on Oct. 8, when, unprovoked, Hezbollah opened fire on Israel. The only de-escalation that the US should support is the one that will return Israeli citizens to their homes and weaken Hezbollah’s death grip on southern Lebanon. Operation Grim Beeper is the beginning of the Israeli effort to restore deterrence.
The writer is Director of the Center of peace and Security in the Middle East and is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. (X)
Rambam Healthcare Campus Becomes World’s Largest Underground Hospital
The Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel’s largest hospital servicing the north, has become the world’s largest underground hospital. Sunday (22nd), after a directive from the Health Ministry, patients were moved from their wards to ensure their safety as Hezbollah rocket, missile and drone fire reached Haifa suburbs and the surrounding areas.
Rambam can accommodate over 2,000 hospital beds underground after adapting the car park to the needs of a hospital ward in an investment of 435 million shekels after a decision was made in the wake of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when northern Israel and Haifa itself came under fire.
The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya has been operating underground since October 7, with its underground complex housing hundreds of beds.
The operation to relocate 700 patients to the underground hospital began at noon on Sunday (22nd). Patients were transferred according to a prearranged plan, with each department moving to its designated underground area. At the same time, the hospital released non-urgent cases and patients who were not in need of hospitalization to “thin out” its patient load, discharging nearly 200 patients to free up beds in expectation of patients from other facilities in the north being transferred there.
The first to be relocated were patients from the intensive care unit (ICU), many of whom were on ventilators. The move was carried out by a Rambam medical team, assisted by Israeli Navy personnel, with family members accompanying their loved ones. Other departments, including the maternity ward, were moved soon after.
Rambam’s director, Professor Michael Halberthal, said that after the 2006 Lebanon War, it became clear that the hospital needed to function under any conditions. “Our operations will continue here with the goal of returning to full capacity as soon as possible.”
Rambam has a total capacity of 2,200 beds: 1,200 in the third underground level, 800 on the second underground level, and around 200 in fortified areas above ground. “We can continue to operate the hospital as normal. Our 24 operating rooms are fully fortified, as is our emergency department. In the next phase, we will fortify level minus one, which is used for ambulance unloading. The facility also includes a daycare for the children of staff, with capacity for 500 children.”
He also said that they were working to prepare an additional underground level, with plans to accommodate patients from two other facilities in the city.
Like other hospitals in the north, Rambam has canceled elective surgeries and outpatient clinics remain closed. On Monday (23rd), the hospital will continue to operate in a limited capacity.
