Israel keeping ‘watchful eye to the north’ as Hezbollah rockets hit IDF base in Meron

The war cabinet holds a situational assessment on the northern border

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A rocket barrage launched by the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon hit the Israel Air Force base on Mount Meron on Tuesday, causing light damage, Israel Defense Forces stated on Tuesday afternoon.

“There is no damage to the Air Force’s detection capabilities,” due to “the good skill of the forces and as part of the operational competence and backup through additional systems,” the IDF added.

Israel’s War Cabinet met with local and regional council heads in Ramat Korazim on Tuesday, some 15 km (10 miles) from the northern border as a signal to Hezbollah and other organizations threatening Israel from the north.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz expressed their condolences to the families of the 21 soldiers who died in Gaza the day before, while also warning Hezbollah not to escalate the tensions further.

“We are keeping an eye on everything that is happening in the north. Hezbollah continues to provoke us, I have now conducted a special situation assessment on this matter,” said Gallant.

“We are prepared, we do not want war, but we are ready for any situation that may develop in the north. Therefore, we have one hand reaching to the south and a watchful eye towards the north.”

Earlier in the day, Hezbollah shot a salvo of some 15 rockets at the area of Mount Meron, activating alarms in several nearby communities. The IDF said that several rockets were intercepted, and no damage or injuries were reported.

Hezbollah claimed the attack was a reaction to “the recent assassinations in Syria and Lebanon and in response to the attacks on civilians and homes in southern Lebanon.”

This is the second time this month that the IDF admitted that the Israeli Air Force base on Mount Meron, one of the most important sites for controlling the air space across northern Israel, was hit by Hezbollah fire.

The first time the terror group targeted the base on Meron came shortly after senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri was killed in a targeted strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut in early January.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to prevent a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon continued. During a visit to the region, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu told Israeli leaders on Monday that “concrete steps are under discussion… publicly, discreetly, and secretly” to prevent a war.

France would “keep engaging towards a diplomatic solution along Israel’s northern border,” a French official told the Times of Israel. “The basis of such a solution lies in the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701, on both sides.”

UN Resolution 1701 ended the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and stipulated a withdrawal of Hezbollah's forces from the Israeli border, a demand which the terror group has since ignored.

An Israeli group called Lobby 1701 recently began to tally the daily attacks by Hezbollah on Israeli territory, which continue unabated.

מצורף עדכון תקיפות בגזרה הצפונית . יום שני. 22.01.24.
דוח פגיעות יומי של לובי 1701. משקפים את המציאות האמיתית בצפון.

🔴הצטרפו ללובי 1701:https://t.co/o5QGV9lnPp pic.twitter.com/7MTxwCPssW
— Lobby1701 (@Lobby1701) January 22, 2024

On Monday, the terror group launched 21 rockets and two anti-tank guided missiles at Israeli targets.

In response, the Israeli army reacted with artillery fire, while the Air Force (IAF) conducted five waves of airstrikes against targets in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, the IAF struck terrorist infrastructures and observation posts in the villages of Leyda and Eitarun, and destroyed a military structure of Hezbollah in the Majdal Salem area.

In addition, its fighter jets attacked a military building in the Marun al-Ras area where Hezbollah terrorists were staying. Several secondary explosions after the attack indicated that the building had also been used as a weapons depot.

The IAF destroyed three observation posts and a military structure in the areas of Marwahin, Sheihin, Tayba, and Tir-Kharfa in southern Lebanon.