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Palestine Tet – 124 – Is Zero Hour Approaching Between Israel and Hezbollah in S. Lebanon ?

March 12, 2024

Lebanon. South of the Litani River. Looking south from Rashidiya Palestinian Refugee Camp towards N. Israel. June, 1981. (R. Prince photo)

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(Google translation of piece from Rais Al Youm from Arabic to English) by Zuhair Andraos. Dateline Nazareth. )

  1. Is zero hour for war approaching between Israel and Hezbollah?

Yesterday (March 11) Hezbollah fired one hundred missiles and more within an hour targeted the Galilee and the Golan in response to Israeli aerial  bombing of the Bekaa Valley of E. Lebanon. The mayor of of Shlomi, an Israeli settlement in the north said: “I fear that Al-Radwan (Hezbollah elite forces unit) will take control of the settlement soon. Israel will establish an alternative port in Cyprus for fear of paralyzing the port of Haifa.”

The exchange of fire continues between the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation army, while a number of specialists, experts and analysts in the entity have suggested that the zero hour for the start of the all-out war between Israel and Lebanon is very close.

The leaders of the settlements in Israel’s north, whose towns are now empty of residents, said that they are living in a state of war, and that Hezbollah is the one controlling the rhythm, not the Israeli army.

The leaders of the settlements in Israel’s north, whose towns are now empty of residents, said that they are living in a state of war, and that Hezbollah is the one controlling the rhythm, not the Israeli army.

It is noteworthy that the Israeli army appointed General Chico Tamir in charge of the ground maneuver to invade southern Lebanon when the all-out war broke out between the two parties, and that the army strengthened its forces on the northern front with the Cedars, waiting for zero hour.

Israeli, the occupying state, admitted on Tuesday morning that the occupied Golan and the Galilee region were subjected, within one hour, to intense missile strikes from the Lebanese Hezbollah. The Hebrew media did not publish whether there were casualties among Israelis during the missile attack.

At the same time, the head of the municipal council in the border settlement of Shlomi, which the authorities evacuated of its residents several months ago due to Hezbollah missiles, said in a radio interview that he fears that the Radwan Forces, the elite unit of Hezbollah, will enter the settlement by land and take control of it, without… To add to what he relied on to express his deep fear and deep concern.

In a related context, and citing high-level political and security sources in Tel Aviv, the Hebrew newspaper Israel Hayom reported that the Israeli Ministry of Transportation has set a goal of establishing another port for Israel, in Larnaca in Cyprus, within 60 days, pointing out at the same time that Work is underway to establish and operate a port in accordance with the American schedule announced by the administration of President Joe Biden to establish a floating port off the coast of Gaza to transport humanitarian aid, according to their claims.

According to the same sources, the Hebrew newspaper continued, saying that a delegation from the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety headed by the head of the Israel Ports Company, Uzi Yitzhak, headed to Cyprus yesterday morning, Monday. The delegation aims to study the issue of establishing a port as a response to various security scenarios by order of Minister Miri Regev?

Why an Israeli port in Larnaca? The newspaper stressed that according to estimates by the Israeli Ministry of Transportation, the cost of the port will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and the plans are required at the national level to be implemented immediately.

The Hebrew newspaper went on to say, quoting the same sources, that it “will operate the port in Larnaca, and security inspection issues will be handled by Israeli subsidiaries.” It was also learned that, contrary to various information published, the primary goal of establishing the port is not to transport aid to Gaza, but rather it is a response to a situation in which the Haifa port would be paralyzed in the event of a war with Hezbollah. (1)

It was also learned that, contrary to various information published, the primary goal of establishing the port is not to transport aid to Gaza, but rather it is a response to a situation in which the Haifa port would be paralyzed in the event of a war with Hezbollah.

Moreover, the newspaper pointed out that the matter is also related to a comprehensive preparation between the ministries aimed at preventing Israel from developing a war in the north, and similar to the preparations for various different dark scenarios, the port of Larnaca is an urgent need for Israel to avoid a situation in which it is cut off from the world commercially and for supplies during the war. , according to the same sources.

An Israeli source familiar with the issue told the Hebrew newspaper, “There is also an encouraging future aspect to the establishment of the port. The port is scheduled to be part of the alternative transport line to be established within the framework of normalization with Saudi Arabia and to link Europe and India via Israel. As we mentioned, this problem is now being addressed, although normalization has not yet begun. In Israel, there are those who see this as a positive sign of what is to come,” according to what the sources said.

It is noteworthy that all the Israeli scenarios that were taken into consideration confirm that Hezbollah will paralyze the port of Haifa and Ben Gurion International Airport, in addition to very sensitive facilities in the entity, acknowledging at the same time that the resistance missiles are now hitting every target deep inside Israel from Metulla in the north to Eilat (Umm Rashrash) in the south.

It is noteworthy that all the Israeli scenarios that were taken into consideration confirm that Hezbollah will paralyze the port of Haifa and Ben Gurion International Airport, in addition to very sensitive facilities in the entity, acknowledging at the same time that the resistance missiles are now hitting every target deep inside Israel from Metulla in the north to Eilat (Umm Rashrash) in the south.

The question remains open: Until when will Israel be able to be drawn into the war of attrition that Hezbollah was able to drag it into? Is its army capable of war on two fronts at the same time?

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  1. Israel and India have put together – or are trying to put together – what is referred to as the India-Middle East Belt and Road Initiative – something of a U.S. supported alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The Israeli-India version would ship goods from India’s West Coast to Abu Dhabi and then across Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel’s main port of Haifa. From there goods would be transferred to markets in Europe. Israel is taking advantage of the current military confrontation to establish another link in this commercial chain – in Larnaca, Cyprus. Israel is also taking Hezbollah threats seriously that if Lebanon is attacked, it, Hezbollah will target both Ben Gurion Airport and the port of Haifa.

Report: Israel May Buy Terminal in Cyprus to Support Aid Corridor

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2. A second article from Rai al Youm, this one also translated by Google Translate from Arabic to English

“Hezbollah” launches about 100 missiles towards the Galilee, the Golan, and the resistance in Iraq, targeting “Ben Gurion” Airport.. (videos) – Note if you click on the link to the Arabic article there are videos worth seeing. I believe this one comes from Al Mayadeen.

March 12, 2024.

Beirut – Anatolia – “Opinion of the Day” – Israeli media confirmed that Hezbollah fired dozens of rocket shells towards the Galilee and the Golan, this Tuesday morning.

“Opinion of the Day” – Israeli media confirmed that Hezbollah fired dozens of rocket shells towards the Galilee and the Golan, this Tuesday morning.

Simultaneously, sirens sounded specifically in the northern Golan, Ghajar, and Ain Qenya.

The Regional Council in the Upper Galilee said, “Curved-track missiles were launched towards the Golan region, followed by the launching of another series of missiles from Lebanon towards the Golan, but without activating the sirens.”

Al-Mayadeen’s correspondent in southern Lebanon reported this morning that missiles were launched from Lebanon towards the Galilee.

Yesterday, the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon targeted with 4 assault marches the air and missile defense headquarters in the “Kila” barracks in the occupied Syrian Golan, and the targets were hit accurately.

In the face of the continuing escalation on the northern front, Israeli media reported that the head of the settlement regional council in the Upper Galilee, Giora Zaltz, and the heads of other evacuated settlement councils, are demanding a clear definition of the goals, objectives, and timetable for the war in the north.

What was covered by the Israeli media coincides with mounting fears about the outbreak of a comprehensive war with Lebanon, given Hezbollah’s missile and human capabilities, which poses a serious threat to the occupation and its settlers.

In the same context, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced, at dawn on Tuesday, the targeting of the Israeli Ben Gurion Airport, inside the occupied Palestinian territories, in completion of the second phase of operations to confront the Israeli occupation.

In the same context, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced, at dawn on Tuesday, the targeting of the Israeli Ben Gurion Airport, inside the occupied Palestinian territories, in completion of the second phase of operations to confront the Israeli occupation.

The resistance said in a statement, “The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted Ben Gurion Airport, deep within the usurping entity, using drones.”

The statement confirmed that the Iraqi resistance is continuing to destroy enemy strongholds, in completion of the second phase of its operations in support of Gaza, and in response to the Israeli massacres against Palestinian civilians.

A few days ago, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq carried out a series of attacks, the most prominent of which were: targeting oil refineries in occupied Haifa with drones, and also targeting an Israeli information base, north of the occupied Syrian Golan, and also targeting a military barracks at Rosh Pina Airport in the territories. Occupied Palestinian Territory.

A few days ago, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq carried out a series of attacks, the most prominent of which were: targeting oil refineries in occupied Haifa with drones, and also targeting an Israeli information base, north of the occupied Syrian Golan, and also targeting a military barracks at Rosh Pina Airport in the territories. Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Earlier, the Iraqi Islamic Resistance confirmed that it had undertaken to achieve two goals: liberating Iraq from the American occupation, and supporting occupied Palestine in its sacred battle against the Israeli occupation.

It stressed that it will continue its operations against the Israeli settlements, until the declaration of a truce in the Gaza Strip and the occupation’s commitment to it, explaining that its fighters will remain fully prepared during that period, as “if the Zionist entity returns to its crimes, we will return.”

It is noteworthy that the Secretary-General of the Sayyed al-Shuhada Brigades in Iraq, Abu Alaa al-Wala’i, announced on January 24th the start of the second phase of military operations, coinciding with the United States’ targeting of the resistance forces.

The second phase includes enforcing the blockade on Israeli maritime navigation in the Mediterranean Sea, in addition to putting the occupation ports out of service, according to what Al-Walaei added.

2 Comments leave one →
  1. March 12, 2024 9:22 am

    This report captures the hair-trigger balance of power in Israel’s north. Neither party has the clear operational initiative to confine/ define the other’s actions. The missile – artillery – airstrike exchanges on the Lebanon border are concerning enough.*should this escalet beyond the modulated, proportional acts.

    The extension of Israeli territory into Cyprus (non-Turkish part) shows that Israel sees that, post-2024, their future is not the one they envisioned in prior times: Israel is reconfiguring for a more defensive future. The words “cut off from the world commercially” fit into a near future when Israel could have a difficult time finding friends.

    *Recall that Hezbollah can accurately target nearly any location in Israel. There are about a dozen large ammonia tank farms in Israel. In an all-out war, there would be tens of thousands, or more, casualties. In the case of Haifa, it could exceed 100,000.

    Let us hope that there WILL be a future world post -2024.

    Rob: Thank you for this chilling report.

    Gary Anderson

  2. March 12, 2024 1:46 pm

    Rob, thanks for posting this. I suspect this is just another step in regional response to Israel’s hateful actions. While it is wrong for me to wish this, I nonetheless wish that Israel may eventually disappear because of the increasing costs of its genocide. John Kane

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