IDF hits Hezbollah launchers after rocket fire; Gallant to troops: Prepare for ground op
Military says it struck a weapons factory, Hezbollah command room and other sites on Tuesday, as defense minister says ‘center of gravity is moving’ from Gaza to the north
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Hezbollah rocket launchers used to fire some 45 rockets at northern Israel on Tuesday were targeted in IDF drone strikes, while Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops the military was in the process of shifting its attention from Gaza to Lebanon.
A barrage of 30 rockets was launched at the Mount Meron area in the afternoon, with the Israel Defense Forces reporting that some were intercepted and others struck open areas. Another 15 rockets were fired at the Western Galilee, some of which were intercepted by air defenses, the IDF added.
There were no injuries in the attacks.
The launchers were later hit in southern Lebanon’s at-Tiri and Mansouri, according to the military.
Additionally, Israeli fighter jets struck a building used by Hezbollah in Rachaf, the IDF added.
The military also confirmed that several drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel earlier in the evening.
Hezbollah rocket launchers used to fire some 45 rockets at northern Israel earlier today were targeted in drone strikes, the IDF says.
The launchers were hit in southern Lebanon's at-Tiri and Mansouri, according to the military.
Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets struck a… pic.twitter.com/OiUXfauxHV
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 10, 2024
The IDF said some of the drones were shot down, while others impacted near Kibbutz Ami’ad in the Upper Galilee. There were no injuries.
Footage showed a Hezbollah drone flying over northern Israel, as sirens sounded in Rosh Pina and several other towns.
Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have targeted an Israeli military site.
תיעוד: כטב"ם חזבאללה בשמי צפון הכנרת@Doron_Kadosh
(שימוש לפי סעיף 27א') pic.twitter.com/fOLNfFkRUG— גלצ (@GLZRadio) September 10, 2024
The IDF also said fighter jets struck a Hezbollah weapons manufacturing plant in southern Lebanon’s Jouaiyya earlier in the day, along with a command room and other buildings used by the terror group in Nabatieh, Mansouri, and Kafr Kila.
Separately, the IDF said a cell of Hezbollah operatives spotted in southern Lebanon’s Houla was targeted in an airstrike.
מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו בהכוונה מודיעינית של אמ״ן, אתר ייצור אמצעי לחימה המשויך לארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב ג׳ויא שבדרום לבנון.
בנוסף, הותקפו מהאוויר מפקדה צבאית ומבנים צבאיים של הארגון במרחבים נבטיה, אל מנצורי והכפר כילא שבדרום לבנון >> pic.twitter.com/8v3ffRP2h9— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 10, 2024
Speaking to troops during a drill simulating a ground offensive in Lebanon, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel is shifting its focus to the northern front as it aims to soon achieve its objectives in the Gaza Strip.
“The center of gravity is moving to the north, we are nearing the completion of our missions in the south, but we have a task here that has not been carried out, and this mission is to change the security situation and return the residents to their homes,” he told reservists of the Oded Brigade in northern Israel.
Some 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes amid daily attacks by Hezbollah on northern Israel. Returning the displaced residents of the north to their homes is part of Israel’s war goals, alongside dismantling Hamas and returning the hostages kidnapped by the terror group on October 7.
“These instructions you are waiting for, I gave in the south and saw the forces at work,” Gallant said, referring to Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza. He added that such orders “will come here as well and you should be prepared and ready to carry out this mission.”
“We are finishing training the entire order of battle for a ground operation [in Lebanon], in all its aspects,” Gallant continued.
“I’ve already seen in many circumstances where I stood next to troops who told me: ‘You are just talking.’ After a week I met them on the ground,” he added to the reserve soldiers.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 434 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 78 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
Tensions have been particularly high in recent weeks, with Hezbollah vowing retaliation for Israel’s assassination of its top military commander in Beirut in July. Israel said it foiled part of the terror group’s response to the killing last month, when IDF fighter jets struck thousands of Hezbollah rocket launcher barrels in southern Lebanon, including some believed to be aimed at Mossad headquarters.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
