The Israeli Air Force’s airspace control and surveillance center on Mount Meron is used to track missiles and aerial objects over the territories of Israel, Syria, Cyprus, Lebanon and the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
While Israel downplayed the strikes on the HQ, Hezbollah released footage of the rockets blowing up buildings on Mount Meron.
The IDF also brought an enormous radar blimp out of retirement to patrol its border with Lebanon, suggesting that its surveillance powers had been damaged.
The Sky Dew, a white high-altitude balloon that is used to detect missiles and drones, was retired in 2022 but was photographed over northern Israel on Saturday.
Damage to the Mount Meron HQ could leave Israel vulnerable to unforeseen missile attacks. Nasrallah claimed that this was just the “initial response” to a wider retaliation against Israel.
Reporting on the strikes yesterday, an Israeli Channel 13 host warned: “We must be prepared for the possibility that Nasrallah will soon seek new opportunities for revenge for Al-Arouri at the border.
“If we look at the Israeli army’s response, it is only a restricted response in the Lebanese villages near the border.” In response to the rocket barrage, Israel attacked Lebanon with fighter jets, posting several videos of attacks on what they claim are military buildings and terrorist infrastructure.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has embarked on a whirlwind diplomatic tour of the Middle East this week to calm tensions and stop the conflict from escalating further.
It is Mr Blinken’s fourth diplomatic tour of the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out.
There is growing international criticism of Israel’s strategy, while the conflict is spilling over into Lebanon and the Red Sea, where Yemen’s Houthi militants have increased their attacks on cargo ships and fuel tankers in solidarity with Palestine.
Hezbollah urged all residents of south Lebanon to immediately evacuate the area this morning, sparking fears in Israel of an imminent all-out war. There is growing fear that the announcement is a sign that Hezbollah is preparing for the next phase of its battle with Israel.
The order calls on civilians to evacuate the battle areas being bombed by the IDF, “out of concern for their safety”.
The evacuation order comes days after Hasan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, said that the killing of Hamas leader Saleh Al-Arouri in Beirut will “not go unpunished.”
The Iran-backed group followed up on this threat by hitting an Israeli intelligence headquarters yesterday with over 60 rockets.
