Israeli troops unable to enter Lebanon - ambushed by Hezbollah - forced to evacuate
Yesterday, Israel was going to take immediate revenge. It seems that they couldn’t do that, so they reverted to what they do best - terrorism.
The question is whether the lame duck Biden regime is capable of holding back the rapid dogs and whether Netanyanhu and his cronies are capable of reading the signs.
ISRAEL SAID IT MAY ATTACK IRAN’S OIL RIGS, NUCLEAR SITES IN RESPONSE TO MISSILE ATTACK.
CABINET SAID RESOLVED TO RESPOND MILITARILY, BUT HAS NOT DECIDED HOW; OFFICIALS ALSO WEIGHING TARGETED ASSASSINATIONS, ATTACKS ON AIR DEFENSES; RESPONSE TO BE COORDINATED WITH US
Israel may respond to Iran’s major Tuesday ballistic missile attack by striking strategic infrastructure, such as gas or oil rigs, or by directly targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, media reports said on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials.
Targeted assassinations and attacks on Iran’s air defense systems are also possible responses.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a meeting with Israel’s security chiefs at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv Wednesday, his office said in a statement.
The meeting — held hours before the Rosh Hashanah holiday, marking the Jewish New Year — was expected to discuss potential responses to the attack, which consisted of some 181 ballistic missiles fired directly at Israel from Iran, almost all of which were intercepted as Israelis nationwide gathered in bomb shelters.
The PMO released a picture from the meeting showing Netanyahu huddling with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. Also present were Maj. Gen. Ronen Gofman, Netanyahu’s military aide, and Tzachi Braverman, the premier’s chief of staff.
The discussion took place after another hours-long meeting of the security cabinet in a bunker underneath Jerusalem on Tuesday night. That meeting ended with the understanding that Israel would respond to the attack militarily, but without clarity as to how it would do so, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Israeli officials.
The absence of a more specific decision was in part out of a desire to coordinate any plans with the United States, the report said, adding that Netanyahu was expected to speak with US President Joe Biden as soon as Wednesday afternoon.
The discussion took place after another hours-long meeting of the security cabinet in a bunker underneath Jerusalem on Tuesday night. That meeting ended with the understanding that Israel would respond to the attack militarily, but without clarity as to how it would do so, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed Israeli officials.
The absence of a more specific decision was in part out of a desire to coordinate any plans with the United States, the report said, adding that Netanyahu was expected to speak with US President Joe Biden as soon as Wednesday afternoon.
Israelis take cover inside a bomb shelter at Ben Gurion Airport as a siren alert is sounded amid a ballistic missile attack from Iran, October 1, 2024.
That’s in part because the attack on Tuesday came some two weeks into a new Israeli offensive against the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which has devastated the Iranian proxy, lessening its power as a deterrent against strong Israeli action.
There remains, however, the possibility that Iran itself could escalate, including into a full-scale war, if Israel deals it a serious blow.
“We have a big question mark about how the Iranians are going to respond to an attack, but we take into consideration the possibility that they would go all in, which will be a whole different ball game,” an Israeli official told Axios.
In Israel, ministers vowed that Iran would regret the attack, while politicians, including from the opposition, called for a heavy response.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz, in a statement Tuesday, declared: “The ayatollahs’ regime has crossed the red line — and the State of Israel will not be silent in the face of Iran’s criminal attack on our citizens.”
Gallant wrote on X: “Iran has not learned a simple lesson — those who attack the State of Israel, pay a heavy price.”
I spent this evening in the command and control center together with senior defense officials, closely watching the IDF’s successful defense against the Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Iran has not learned a simple lesson – those who attack the State of Israel, pay a heavy…
— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) October 1, 2024
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, too, said in a statement Wednesday morning that “the response must be harsh, and send a clear message to the entire axis: Iran, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza,” naming countries and territories from which Iranian-backed terror groups have launch attacks on Israel.
“Alongside a military response, we must also develop an overall regional political strategy, that turns military success into strategic change, and we must not forget for one moment the urgent need to bring our hostages home,” Lapid added, referring to the 97 people kidnapped in Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack who are still held captive in Gaza, plus four others held there for around a decade.
Some voices went further, calling explicitly for Israel to target Iran’s nuclear facilities and oil industry sites and to threaten the regime itself. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, speaking on CNN Tuesday shortly after the attack, called this moment a “once in a 50-year opportunity.”
“We need to take out Iran’s nuclear program, we need to attack Iran’s energy facilities, and we need to attack the regime itself, right away,” Bennett said, noting that Hezbollah and Hamas are at a historically weak point after a year of war.
“It’s time to hit, destroy the nuclear program, and finally allow the Iranian people to rise up — the amazing Iranian people, who have one of the worst regimes on earth,” he said.
The United States on Wednesday signaled a willingness to support Israel in a potential response, with the White House promising “severe consequences for this attack,” and saying it “will work with Israel to make that the case.”
Asked how he wanted Israel to respond, US President Joe Biden said this was a matter in “active discussion” and that the consequences for Tehran “remain to be seen.”
US officials told Western outlets on Wednesday that while the Biden administration supports an Israeli response, it believes such a response should be limited, and is concerned about the consequences of escalation.
Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats in the US Congress, meanwhile, urged the White House to back Israel in a harsh response.
“I urge the reimposition of a maximum pressure campaign against Iran and fully support Israel’s right to respond disproportionately to stop this threat,” said Senator Marco Rubio, using the Trump administration’s phrase for its exertion of harsh sanctions.
Biden says he would not back Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites
Any Israeli response to Iran’s missile barrage should be ‘proportional’, says the US president.
Biden - We will not support Israel, if they decide to hit Iran's nuclear sites. That means the Israeli's are planning to do it
BREAKING Hezbollah: “While an Israeli enemy force was trying to encircle the town of Yaroun from the direction of the forest, the Islamic Resistance fighters surprised them at (02:00) in the afternoon of Wednesday 2-10-2024 by detonating a special explosive device and inflicted casualties on all members of the force.”
Footage from earlier showing Israeli Troops being evacuated after getting into an Hezbollah ambush.
Eight Israeli soldiers killed, three tanks destoyed by Resistance
The Israeli occupation admits the killing and wounding of several of its soldiers, particularly from the Egoz unit, as the Islamic Resistance confronts invading troops.
Israeli gunners react as they stand in the shock wave as an artillery piece fires into southern Lebanon from a position near Kiryat Shmona, northern occupied Palestine, in this July 14, 2006 file photo. (AP)
Israeli occupation forces admitted on Wednesday the deaths of eight occupation soldiers during confrontations with the Islamic Resistance fighters on the southern Lebanese border, including two captains.
According to Israeli Channel 12, the soldiers who were killed fell in two separate locations after being confronted by Resistance fighters at a close proximity.
Additionally, five other soldiers from the Egoz Commando Unit, including one officer, were wounded.
As the Islamic Resistance continues intensifying its operations against invading occupation forces, Israeli Army Radio revealed that a unit of the Commandos force encountered fighters inside a building in a Southern Lebanese village.
As an operation to evacuate the occupation soldiers was underway, Hezbollah fighters continued launching mortar shells. A medical evacuation unit was requested to treat wounded soldiers on the field.
On his part, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in the South revealed that Israeli military reinforcements positioned in areas across Aita al-Shaab came under Hezbollah rocket fire.
مشاهد لإخلاء "الجيش" الإسرائيلي لقتلى وجرحى وقعوا خلال الاشتباكات مع #حزب_الله.#الميادين #الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/GkZurASg0W
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) October 2, 2024
Hezbollah destroyed three Israeli tanks
According to a statement released by the Lebanese Resistance, Hezbollah fighters were able to destroy three Israeli Merkava tanks using guided missiles as they advanced on the souther Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras.
Commenting on the results of the confrontations that had been ongoing since this morning, a field source from the Lebanese Resistance told Al Mayadeen, "The heroic epic which our fighters are conducting against Israeli elite forces at several axes in South Lebanon resulted in the killing and wounding of more than 80 soldiers and officers, with almost five tanks destroyed."
Briefing of some of Hezbollah's operations
In the same context, it was also announced that while an Israeli occupation unit was attempting to surround the town of Yaroun from its forest, Resistance fighters detonated an explosive device against it, confirming casualties in its ranks between killed and wounded.
Another statement released by the Islamic Resistance reported that its fighters were confronting occupation soldiers in the eastern region of the Southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Rass, injuring several, as clashes continue.
This comes after fighters from the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon successfully ambushed an Israeli infantry force attempting to infiltrate Lebanese territory through the village of Odaisseh from the Khallet al-Mahafer area on Wednesday dawn, Hezbollah confirmed.
Fierce confrontations ensued, forcing Israeli occupation forces to retreat after suffering casualties, according to the group's statement.
Israeli media announced that two soldiers were killed, including the commander of the Egoz unit, as well as 18 more wounded, during confrontations with Hezbollah at the border.
At least four occupation helicopters were sent to evacuate the casualties, as they, with the assistance of Israeli tanks, opened fire in the area to cover for the Israeli soldiers. However, they were met with intense artillery shelling by Hezbollah.
