Hezbollah footage of attack on northern Israel air base
The IDF confirmed Monday that a Hezbollah rocket attack the night before damaged infrastructure at the Meron Air Force Base. Although some air control unit detection capabilities were impacted, built-in redundancies prevented a halt in northern aerial detection operations. Repairs are currently underway.
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The IDF has intensified its operations against the Shia terror group, systematically destroying firing positions and observation posts of its elite Radwan forces facing the Galilee.
The military acknowledges Iran's strategy to escalate attacks on Israel through proxies like Hezbollah, especially as Israel's military successes in Gaza mount, aiming to distract the IDF from its engagement with Hamas.
Hezbollah released a video Saturday night depicting the unusual attack on the northern base, dubbed "the eyes of the country in the north." In the footage, Hezbollah claimed to have directly hit the defense domes at the base, responsible for aerial imaging and monitoring all aircraft in the regional airspace. The video suggests two of the three domes were hit.
The Air Force's control system oversees all air traffic in Israel's airspace. It is responsible for detecting and identifying infiltration attempts, operating a range of weapon systems and directing aircraft and air defense batteries to intercept hostile aerial threats.
In the video, Hezbollah detailed the targeted base in Arabic. "Meron Base, YBA 506, sits 8 km from the Lebanese border, 1,200 meters above sea level, spanning 160,000 square meters."
It's described as "Northern Israel's air command and control center, tasked with organizing, coordinating and managing aerial operations in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey and the northern eastern Mediterranean."
Israeli fighter jets strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in retaliation for rocket attack on northern Israel base
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
According to Hezbollah, it serves as a "primary center for electronic disruption operations in the northern sector," and the base is staffed with "many soldiers and officers." Additionally, it was noted that the base contains "radar systems for long-range tracking and detection," and includes "a control and command room for UAV operations and digital communication systems."
The terror group said the barrage, launching dozens of rockets at border communities, was an "initial response" to Hamas deputy leader Salah al-Arouri's assassination in Beirut. The IDF retaliated with strikes in Lebanon, hitting Hezbollah's ground-to-air missile base and other targets, killing six terror operatives.