Israel Announces Death Of Officer As Hezbollah, Hamas Launch More Attacks From Lebanon
South Front, Apr 21 2024
The IOF said on Apr 21 that a reservist officer critically wounded in the Hezbollah drone and missile attack on the settlement of Arab al-Aramshe near the border with Lebanon last week had succumbed to his wounds. The slain officer, who held the rank of a Major, was a deputy company commander in the Etzioni Brigade, according to a statement released by the IOF. At least 13 other soldiers and four civilians were wounded in the attack on Apr 17, during which Hezbollah launched two anti-tank guided missiles and a suicide drone from Lebanon, targeting a community center in Arab al-Aramshe where troops were based.
The attack was one of the most complicated operations carried out by Hezbollah since the group began launching attacks against the IDF from southern Lebanon to support the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip following the outbreak of the war there.
The IDF responded to the attacks by launching strikes against southern Lebanon, the heartland of Hezbollah, as well as the northeastern district of Balbaak, a stronghold of the group. However, this was not enough to deter the group.
Hezbollah launched more attacks against Israel on Apr 21. In separate statements, the group said its fighters targeted a building occupied by Israeli troops in the settlement of Shomera, fired Burkan heavy improvised rockets at gatherings in the Jal al-Alam site and targeted surveillance equipment of the IDF in the sites of Miskav Am, al-Malikiyah and the Doviev barracks.
The attacks were carried out in support of the Palestinian people and resistance in the Gaza Strip as well as in response to recent Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Hezbollah noted in its statements. In addition, Hamas’ military wing, the Izz’ed-Din al-Qassam Brigades, announced that its branch in Lebanon fired 20 Grad rockets at the Shomera barracks in response to recent Israeli massacres in Gaza as well as in the occupied West Bank. Hebrew media confirmed that several projectiles fired by Hezbollah and Hamas hit border sites and settlements. However, there were no reports of casualties. Separately, Hezbollah’s Military media released videos showing a recent attack on surveillance equipment in the al-Radar site, a missile attack on an IDF Humvee in Metula and a strike on a building occupied by Israeli troops in the same settlement.
From its side, the IDF said on Apr 21 that it had carried out a series of strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Israeli Israeli fighter jets struck two buildings in the town of Ayta al-Shaab where the IDF said that Hezbollah fighters were gathered. The IDF added that additional Hezbollah sites were hit in the towns of Naqoura and Majdal Zoun. There were no reports of casualties in Lebanese media.
It also said that its artillery shelled a rocket launch site in the Rosh Hanikra area and later hit a Hezbollah position in the town of Qotrani in response to the attack. The clashes on the Israeli-Lebanese border gained momentum in the last few days. However, a serious escalation remains unlikely. So far, the border clashes have resulted in eight civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of at least 11 IDF soldiers and reservists. On the Lebanese side, more than 400 people have been killed, including 267 fighters of Hezbollah and at least 70 civilians.
Booby-Trapped Palestinian Flag Wounds Israeli Settler In West Bank
South Front, Apr 21 2024
An Israeli settler was wounded on April 21 by a booby-trapped Palestinian flag near the settlement of Kochav Hashahar in the occupied West Bank. Video footage posted to social networks shows the Palestinian flag, which was planted on the side of Route 458, blowing up after being kicked to the side by the settler. An explosive device was apparently planted right under the flag. Israel’s Rescuers Without Borders emergency service said that the settler was treated at the scene for minor wounds and declined to be taken to a hospital. No Palestinian armed faction has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, this tactic was used before in the Gaza Strip. In Feb 2018, four Israeli soldiers were wounded by an explosive device concealed in a Palestinian flag placed on the separation fence around Gaza during a Palestinian protest. The al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility at the time. The faction is active not only in Gaza, but also in the West Bank. The incident near Kochav Hashahar came amid Israel’s war against the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza. The Israeli military and security services stepped up operations throughout the West Bank after the start of the war in Gaza, killing at least 418 Palestinians and wounding 3,800 others. Hundreds of Palestinians were also arrested. Still, the security situation in Israel is only getting worse.
Satellite Images Show Damage To S-300PMU2 Radar At Iran’s Isfahan Air Base
South Front, Apr 21 2024
Iran International published on Apr 21 what it said were images of before and after the Apr 19 Israeli attack at an air defense site near the heavily-fortified Natanz nuclear facility close to the city of Isfahan. The images, which are yet to be verified, indicate that the radar of one of Iran’s S-300PMU2 long-range air defense systems was hit during the attack. Iran International is an opposition outlet, critical of the Iranian government. It is reportedly funded by Saudi Arabia and headquartered in London. Tehran acknowledged that the attack targeted Isfahan air base, also known as Eighth Shekari, where the air defense site in question is located. However, it claimed that there were no casualties or material losses. Israel used secret air-launched ballistic missiles as well as small suicide drones launched from within Iran territory in the attack, according to several recent reports. It is unclear which of these weapons hit the S-300PMU-2 radar.
The Israeli attack came in response to the Apr 13-14 Iranian missile and drone strikes on Israel, which was a retaliation to an Israeli strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus, at the beginning of the month that claimed the lives of several senior members of the IRGC. Israel didn’t acknowledge the attack, neither was officially blamed for it by Iran. However, officials from the two countries as well as the US confirmed to several news outlets that the Israeli military was responsible. Iran’s air defense force operates four S-300PMU2 batteries which were delivered by Russia in 2016 as a part of the now-defunct nuclear agreement signed a year earlier. The system deployed at the air defense site in Isfahan air base is considered the main line of defense of the Natanz nuclear facility. The attack on Isfahan was apparently meant to send a message to Iran that the Israeli military can strike its heavily-fortified nuclear facilities. However, Israel exposed many of its secret capabilities and tactics during the attack.
Niqnaq 