Defense officials warn Hezbollah attacks to expand in bid to divert IDF from Iran — report

Hezbollah is expected to increase its rocket and drone attacks on Israel in the coming days as part of an effort to draw Israeli attention away from its conflict with Iran, defense officials said this evening in a discussion with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, Channel 12 reports, citing senior Israeli officials.

Security officials warned at the meeting that Hezbollah is seeking to wear down northern Israel and the broader home front by launching larger daily volumes of missiles and UAVs, including at strategic facilities, according to the Hebrew-language report.

This comes as Hezbollah and other terror groups continue to clash with the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon, in what Israeli officials assess is part of a broader effort to divert Israel’s attention from the ongoing US-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran.

According to the report, the IDF has been reassessing the situation over the past day. Security officials were said to say in internal discussions that although Iran’s missile and drone launches have declined compared to the beginning of the campaign, and although there are signs of growing fatigue among military personnel in Iran, this is not yet expected “to translate into a reduced threat to the Israeli home front in the coming days.”

Senior officials tell the network: “We are in a process that will take time. The destruction of [Iran and Hezbollah’s missile] launchers is continuing constantly — this is the top mission. However, a large number of launchers still remain on the ground, and the capability still exists, even if it has been significantly weakened.”