Hezbollah’s recent operation targeting the Meron Air Base has captured intense scrutiny from the Israeli enemy’s media and circles, highlighting the operation’s field achievements and its broader implications.
Israeli media acknowledged the precision of Hezbollah’s strikes on Meron, emphasizing the lack of a tangible Israeli response and the notable absence of Meron’s air defense system in thwarting the attack.
Describing the operation as a ‘significant blow’ to the Israeli army, the Israeli media underscored the use of various weapons by Hezbollah, including missiles, drones, and anti-armor missiles, striking from a distance exceeding 8 km.
⚡️ Israeli media:
The targeting of Meron Air Base this morning by #Hezbollah was accurate.
— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) January 6, 2024
The Hebrew newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” reported that the video released by Hezbollah revealed precise damage to two domes at the Meron base, signalling severe consequences.
In interpreting the importance of Meron Air Base in Hezbollah’s statement, the media stressed that Hezbollah sought to articulate the substantial toll exacted from the Israeli army. Yedioth Ahronoth writer Nadav Eyal commented on the operation, noting that whoever assumed Hezbollah’s deterrence had waned had overlooked the party’s steadfastness since the conflict’s initiation on October 8.
Additionally, concerns were raised in Zionist media about Hezbollah’s intention to disrupt the northern command’s capabilities, emphasizing the need for vigilance against potential strategic impairments.
Commenting on the operation, an Israeli analyst for Channel 14 highlighted that the Israeli occupation is deliberately hiding the extent of the damage dealt to the intelligence system at the sensitive base yesterday.
Meanwhile, Israeli Walla! news website described Hezbollah’s operation as only a “trailer” of what would happen if the party’s “multidimensional threats expand.”
Former Northern Command commander in the Israeli army, Asher Ben Lulu, offered his perspective on the operation, characterizing Hezbollah’s attack on Meron as a “rare strike on a first-class strategic site.” Lulu criticized Israel’s ambiguous response, emphasizing that clarity in addressing the aftermath of the attack was essential for building deterrence.
Haaretz’ Amos Harel said ‘Israel’ seeks to “avoid escalating Northern hostilities after Hezbollah’s ‘contained’ reaction to Hamas leaders’ killing,” analysing that Hezbollah, at present, seems uninterested in escalating the conflict, “although Israelis who left their homes in the north will likely wait for months before returning.”
Israeli media: “The Israeli Army” is hiding the damage incurred by Meron.
Hezbollah’s capabilities cause concern.
Israeli media warn of Hezbollah’s capabilities, especially after the operation targeting the air force base in Meron pic.twitter.com/aC8GzvhZXa
— S p r i n t e r (@Sprinter99800) January 7, 2024
The Israeli Media outlets have issued warnings, highlighting the vulnerability of the Iron Dome, the sophisticated anti-air system of the entity, against the specific threat posed by Hezbollah’s recent rocket attack. Concerns have been raised over the system’s limitations in effectively countering this type of threat, prompting a call for the Israeli army to urgently devise solutions to address this security gap.
Israeli media reported that the army has initiated an investigation to examine the incident closely. The investigation aims to identify the causes of the attack, assess potential failures in the system’s response, and formulate strategies to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Remarkably, the Israeli army acknowledged the damages reported by Hezbollah, signifying a rare admission of the impact and effectiveness of the resistance group’s offensive capabilities.
Times of Israel has reported that the Israeli army admitted on Sunday that damage was caused to its air traffic control base on Mount Meron in the Hezbollah missile attack on Saturday.
“The IOF does not elaborate on the damage to the base. But according to Hezbollah’s video, the radar domes were hit,” the Israeli website reported, adding that the army was investigating on the incident.
Following the assassination of Palestinian Resistance leader Sheikh Saleh al-Arouri in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah executed a swift and strategic response by targeting one of the Israeli occupation forces’ critical installations. The focus of this retaliation was the Air Traffic Control Base situated in northern occupied Palestine. Positioned atop Mount Jarmaq, also known as “Meron,” the highest peak in the ’48 occupied territories, the base was subjected to a barrage of 62 rockets launched by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon.
The precision attack, executed at 8:10 am (local time) on Saturday morning, was specifically aimed at the “Meron” Air Traffic Control Base.
Hezbollah emphasized that this facility holds a unique position as the sole center responsible for managing and monitoring air traffic in the northern occupied territories. Notably, there exists no equivalent alternative to Meron Base, creating a significant operational void for the Israeli occupation forces.
Meron Air Surveillance Base plays a pivotal role in the administration and control of air activities in the northern usurping entity. Mitzpe Ramon in the south serves as the other key base.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
