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IDF ready to launch attack on Lebanon after rocket attack on Majdal Shams

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According to Major General Ori Gordin, the head of the Northern Command, the Northern Command has been at war since October 7. The command is not waiting for the decisions of the Defense Cabinet and on Sunday evening began a series of preparations coordinated by the Operations Department of the General Staff, the Air Force and the Navy for a variety of scenarios.

Options include a large-scale attack on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, different from what has been common in the region so far, while protecting the Israeli home front from a large-scale Hezbollah attack.

Major General Gordin conducted an assessment with representatives of the Air Force regarding the objectives of the Northern Command against Hezbollah and the extent of armament adapted to the type of targets.

In recent years, the Northern Command has been training Hezbollah’s plan: “Occupation of Galilee”. Nevertheless, it was decided to update the threats to the sector and change the warning model – all this in order to quickly clarify any changes in the sector that involve an infiltration attempt by terrorists and, accordingly, the course of action of the Israeli forces.

The preparations differ from those of the Southern Command, where the perceived threat did not match the actual threat in Gaza and was not even remotely comparable to the warning before the October 7 massacre.

Israeli rescue workers at the site of a Hezbollah rocket attack in the Druze village of Majdal Shams, July 27, 2024. (Source: MICHAEL GILADI/FLASH90)

At the same time, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi conducted a situation assessment with Shin Bet Chief Ronen Bar and other senior officials to examine the potential consequences of a full-scale attack in Lebanon for Israel’s home front.

It can be assumed that if the security situation deteriorates, it is not impossible that Hezbollah will try to activate inactive cells in Israel or the occupied territories in order to carry out attacks.

So far, the Northern Command’s units have not been expanded beyond the reinforcements decided by the General Staff on October 7.

According to Israeli military estimates, the number of Radwan forces currently on the Lebanese border is significantly lower than the number of Radwan terrorists present in southern Lebanon on October 7.

Some Radwan forces and commanders were killed by IDF fire, some were wounded, and some retreated from firing range. Nevertheless, on Saturday the IDF discovered and killed four Radwan fighters hiding in Kafr Kila, not far from the border.

A missile made in Iran

The Israeli military insisted on Saturday evening that the rocket fired at the soccer field in Majdal Shams, killing 12 children and seriously injuring others, was fired by Hezbollah from Kfarchouba – and even revealed the name of the local commander who ordered the launch.

On Sunday evening, the Israel Defense Forces released details showing that the missile was manufactured in Iran and handed over to Hezbollah, and also revealed the angle at which it was launched toward Israel.

The massacre of the children put Nasrallah in a difficult position – forcing him to lie and deny involvement in the rocket launch. All this happened against the backdrop of fears of a rift with the Druze in Lebanon. There are security sources who claim that he was also afraid of a harsh Israeli reaction and therefore had to deny it completely.

On Sunday, forces from the 769th Brigade identified two terrorists near the Lebanese border and subsequently killed them. In the evening, the Northern Command attacked four Hezbollah weapons depots, which caught fire, as well as other infrastructure. In response, Hezbollah fired two rockets at Yiftah and Shtula.

Shortly after the rocket launch and the killing of the children in Majdal Shams, the Air Force decided to increase the range of aircraft operations in the north and to put dozens of fighter jets on standby in case the situation worsened.



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