The US Embassy in Israel has issued a high-level alert to its employees in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.ordering them to return home and prepare to enter an air raid shelter”: Haartez reports this, quoting the New York Times. It is the first time that such an order has been issued after Iran’s air attack against Israel in last April.
After two weeks of Israeli raids and carpet bombings and daily missile launches by Hezbollah, Israel began targeted and limited ground incursions in southern Lebanon overnight to hit the infrastructure of the pro-Iranian group which threatens the community in the north of the Jewish state.
Meanwhile, The US has informed Israel that Iran intends to launch a missile attack soon. Such a scenario, a senior White House official underlined, “it would have disastrous consequences” for the Islamic Republic.
“At the moment” no air threat from Iran has been detected, Israeli Armed Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said. As for Lebanon, he explained, the objective of the targeted operations is “to foil an attack similar to the one that occurred on 7 October”.
The troops will not enter Beirut or any of the main cities of the Cedar Country and the ground operation will be as short as possible, he assured. So far there have been no direct clashes with Hezbollah militiamen inside the Cedar Country, a security source underlined. The IDF urged residents of around thirty villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate north of the Awali river, tens of kilometers from the border with Israel. «Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, facilities and combat assets puts their lives in danger. It is expected that any house used by Hezbollah for its military needs will be targeted,” warned Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee.
Israeli fighter jets also returned to hit targets in the Dahiyeh neighborhood, in the Lebanese capital, a Hezbollah stronghold. In Israel, warning sirens rang out in Tel Aviv and the center of the country. The attack was claimed by Hezbollah which claimed to have fired Fadi-4 missiles at the Glilot base, near Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv, home to Unit 8200 and Mossad headquarters, «in memory of Nasrallah ». Two people were moderately injured.
The IDF reported that a total of around thirty rockets were fired in the space of a few hours; in response, Israeli fighters attacked launchers and weapons depots. Authorities have issued new restrictions for civilians in northern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, valid until Saturday, after the New Year holiday (Rosh Hashana): schools and offices can only open if there are ‘is a suitable shelter nearby and can be reached in time. As for gatherings, up to 30 people are allowed outdoors and 300 people indoors, while the beaches will be closed.
For his part, Hezbollah has denied that Israeli forces have entered southern Lebanon: «There have not yet been direct clashes on the ground between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces. Our fighters are ready to face enemy forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanon,” said media relations manager Muhammad Afif. The US expressed support for “limited operations to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure”, defining them “in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens and return civilians safely home”.
«Of course – added a spokesperson for the American National Security Council – we know that the expansion of the mission can be a risk and we will continue to discuss it with the Israelis. And ultimately, a diplomatic resolution is the only way to achieve lasting stability and security along the Israel-Lebanon border.”
According to a senior White House official reported by Israeli media, Washington believes an Iranian missile attack against Israel is “imminent”. The US “is actively contributing to military preparations to defend Israel from this attack” which “would have disastrous consequences for Iran”, the official underlined. The Pentagon said it had sent three more squadrons of aircraft to the Middle East. Amid the sirens and warnings of attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed his fellow citizens, warning them that “days of great challenges” are coming. “What I ask of you are two things,” Netanyahu says in the message: “One, to strictly obey the directives of the Home Front Command. This saves lives.” “And secondly, to remain united,” continued the prime minister. «Let us stand firm together in the difficult days ahead. Together we will resist, together we will fight and together we will win.”