Israel has no intention of abandoning the gains it has made on the ground in either Lebanon or Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: “Jawlani has begun doing things we do not accept, such as deploying Russian forces on our border.”
The Israeli government has again threatened war: “A new military operation in Gaza is ‘inevitable.'” The Israeli military spokesman: “Extensive military maneuvers begin this morning in the Eastern Galilee region.”
Meanwhile, Israel’s targeted assassination of Hezbollah’s highest-ranking commander, Tabatabai, on November 23 has received widespread publicity. The Israeli Chief of Staff: “We have targeted Hezbollah’s highest-ranking military commander and will continue to strike any emerging threat. We are committed to respecting the agreements between Israel and Lebanon, but we will not allow Hezbollah to strengthen its power.”
The Israeli attack on Beirut was carried out using American GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) dropped from an F-16 fighter jet. At least five bombs were used in the attack.
According to Channel 12: “Security forces are ready for anything following Tabatabai’s assassination.” Lebanese medical sources reported that “10 children and 8 women were among those injured in the attack on the Haret Hreik residential building.” Israeli Army Radio: “Attacks against Hezbollah will continue.”
The IDF spokesperson said in a lengthy statement on November 23: “The IDF, with the support of AMAN intelligence and the Air Force, carried out an airstrike in the Beirut area and killed Hitam Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah’s de facto commander-in-chief. Tabatabaei was an experienced and key activist in the group. He joined it in the 1980s and since then held several high-ranking positions, including commander of the Radwan Forces unit and head of Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. During his work in Syria, he helped strengthen Hezbollah’s position in the country. During the war, he was appointed commander of the organization’s operations department and was responsible for coordinating the situation and strengthening its forces. During Operation Northern Arrows, after the elimination of much of the military leadership, he effectively led military operations against Israel. After Operation Northern Arrows, Tabatabaei was appointed commander of the organization’s operations department. Hezbollah’s chief of staff and, in this role, led the organization’s reconstruction. Tabatabaei commanded most of Hezbollah’s units and actively worked to restore its combat capability in preparation for the war with Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu on the elimination of Hezbollah’s chief of staff: “His hands are stained with the blood of many. I thank the IDF and the security forces for the precise and successful operation. We will not allow Hezbollah to pose a threat to the State of Israel.” Hezbollah confirmed the killing of Hitam Ali Tabatabai.
Lebanese MP Wael Abou Faour stated that “international warnings have arrived via envoys regarding a possible attack on Iran, with the message: ‘Either remain neutral or you will be dragged into the conflict.'” In response, the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon: “There is the possibility of a new war with Israel, and we are ready for any response.”
Lebanese sources are not the only ones complaining that Israel is continuing to build the border wall between Lebanon and Israel in an area that is Lebanese territory. “While construction of the Israeli wall continues along the southern border of the towns of Aitaroun and Maroun al-Ras, Israeli tanks have been deployed outside the new position on Lebanese territory atop Jabal al-Bat due to the construction of the perimeter fence with wire.”
According to Israeli media, a possible Hezbollah response to Israel is underway. Instructions have been given to open safe houses in large areas of the north. The Israeli army: “Hezbollah’s retaliatory options include rocket fire or raids on five points in southern Lebanon. All Israeli embassies worldwide are on high alert.”
Meanwhile, Channel 12 reports: “The Chief of Staff is visiting the Northern Command headquarters to monitor developments with Lebanon and supervise the maneuvers that began on November 24.”
The French Foreign Ministry: “We express deep concern following the Israeli attack that hit Beirut on Sunday. What happened could pose the risk of escalation in an already tense situation.”
And now, a look at the front line. According to Russian sources, Israel has occupied an additional 800 square kilometers of Syrian territory over the past year. On November 24, several Syrian sources reported from Quneitra that an IDF force of three military vehicles entered the northern countryside and deployed between the city of Jabata and the villages of Ufaniya and Ain al-Bayda, searching passersby in the area.
In Lebanon, the IDF, starting on the evening of November 22, struck numerous targets in the areas of Jarmak, Mahmudiyeh, and Jabbour in southern Lebanon.
An Israeli attack in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut aimed to kill Hezbollah’s senior commander. Israeli artillery targeted the northern heights of the city of Kfarshouba. On November 24, Israeli drones flew low over the villages of Zahrani, Baalbek, and the Bekaa Valley. Simultaneously with the maneuvers, the IDF fired a projectile toward Shmeiss Hill, north of Kfarshouba, while drones flew at high altitude. Fires broke out in several areas of Yaroun following bombings by Israeli aircraft. Hezbollah buried five of its men on November 24, including commander Abu Ali Tabatabai, in Ghobeiri, a suburb of Beirut.
The Israel Defense Forces announced that, after more than a day of searching, they managed to kill or capture all seventeen Hamas militants who yesterday attempted to escape through an underground tunnel in the eastern Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip. According to Israeli officials, the group exited the tunnel behind the Yellow Line in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday, with most fleeing from the immediate vicinity of Rafa East. Six were killed in airstrikes shortly after exiting the tunnel, five were captured by the Nahal Brigade, five more were killed on November 23 while attempting to escape in two separate incidents in Rafa, and the last was captured by troops from the IDF Southern Command.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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