News 26-08-2024

Hezbollah’s secretary-general codenames today’s response to the Israeli aggression on Beirut’s Southern Suburb and the martyrdom of leader Fouad Shokor “Operation Arbaeen”.

The primary targets of today’s operation – launched in response to the assassination of martyred commander Fouad Shokor were the central Glilot base of Israeli military intelligence Aman, incorporating the central hub of Unit 8200, located near Tel Aviv, and the Ein Shemer airbase, confirmed Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. 

Dubbing the response Operation Arbaeen in a speech today, Sayyed Nasrallah reflected on the details of the operation and debunked Israeli claims that preceded and followed it.

Operation Arbaeen

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the codename Operation Arbaeen was chosen deliberately as the world commemorates the Arbaeen of Imam Hussein. He specified that the operation was set to commence after the dawn prayer, after the Resistance fighters had everything set in place, precisely at 5:15 am.

Concerning the delay in the response, he confirmed that the Resistance was prepared to take action from day one following the martyrdom of Commander Fouad Shokor. However, the delay was intentional, serving as part of the strategy for punishment.

He stressed that the waiting period was also meant to allow the Resistance to assess whether the response would be coordinated across the Axis of Resistance or handled by each front individually and to make way for the negotiations, as the ultimate goal was to halt the aggression on Gaza.

Why Glilot?

Sayyed Nasrallah highlighted that the Glilot base is located 110 km from the Blue Line between Lebanon and occupied Palestine and 1,500 meters from Tel Aviv’s periphery, placing it just outside Tel Aviv. He added that the operation’s second target was the Ein Shemer airbase, situated 75 km from Lebanon and 40 km from Tel Aviv.

He confirmed that “a significant number of drones hit their intended targets, but the enemy is keeping all relevant details concealed, but the days and nights will reveal the truth of what happened there.”

Sayyed Nasrallah explained that the operation entailed two phases. The initial phase was focused on targeting sites and barracks in northern occupied Palestine with the hundreds of intended rockets to exhaust and deplete the Iron Dome and interceptor missiles, paving the way for phase two, which saw the swarms of drones heading toward their intended targets.

Regarding the guidelines set by the Resistance for selecting the said targets, Sayyed Nasrallah noted that they had to be military, not civilian, directly related to the assassination of the martyred leader, and located deep inside the occupied territory and close to Tel Aviv.