14 January 2024
Hizballah said they hit the base with 62 missiles of various types in response to the assassination of Qassam Brigades founder and West Bank commander Saleh al-Arouri in the Dahiya neighborhood of Beirut.
The Meron air control base sits atop the highest mountain in historic Palestine, with an overwatch of the region, and its operations are largely secret.
According to Hizballah, it is Israel’s primary base for the management of air power, including surveillance and drone warfare of the sort that targeted al-Arouri. There are only two such bases in Israel, one in the south and one in the north.
Hizballah showed detailed intelligence of the Meron base, including a 3D model that demonstrated critical surveillance characteristics – including the three long-range radar domes that their video showed being hit by anti-tank guided missiles.
Those missiles fly below the capability of Israel’s Iron Dome air defenses.
The New York Times called this a meaningless “symbolic” attack that they said hit “a small military base,” entirely missing the significance of the site and the nature of the missile barrage.
Israel responded to this attack by assassinating Wissam Tawil, a senior field commander of Hizballah special forces, the Radwan Force.
Hizballah, in turn, targeted an Israeli military base in Safed, a site 13km from the border.
It was the deepest strike, since the war began, into northern Israel.
“Israel has hundreds of thousands of its people out of their settlements [in the north], and they’re promising not to go back unless these Radwan units are pushed back from the border where they are currently operating,” I explained.
“So Israel is in a predicament here; and it’s not clear to me that provoking a war with Hizballah is the best idea at this moment.”
Palestinian resistance
In the second segment, I broke down some of the latest resistance videos during the defense of Gaza by the Palestinian armed groups. Videos produced by the fighters from Maghazi refugee camp and Khan Younis, in the middle and southern Strip, respectively. There has been fierce battles all around Gaza City, particularly in defense of the Old City, in Tuffah and Daraj. I explain how the Palestinian resistance continues to maintain command and control across Gaza City – undercutting the Israeli military claim that the Qassam Brigades are no longer functioning as a military organization in the north of Gaza. The video evidence tells a very different story, as it has throughout the war that began on 7 October.Watch the breakdowns for more detail about the Battle of Gaza and subscribe to The Electronic Intifada’s YouTube channel.
Our next show will be live streamed on Wednesday at 12pm ET, and can be watched on demand anytime after.
Comments
I love your coverage of the
Permalink Luminate replied on
I love your coverage of the Palestinian resistance, and John Elmers segments have become my absolute favourite! I would like to find out how I can access the combat footage that John shares on the livestream, as it is getting extremely difficult to find these videos online. Looking forward to any advice or direction you can provide. Thanks!
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