IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi addresses top IDF officials after the Israeli military eliminated Hezbollah Operations Division Head and Radwan Force Commander Ibrahim Aqil. September 20, 2024.(photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
The Home Front Command (HFC) has issued new restrictions in light of recent escalations with Hezbollah in Lebanon, with possible major attack in the next 24 hours.
The IDF on Saturday night issued new home front restrictions on Haifa and any part of the country northward in anticipation of a potential large Hezbollah attack, following Israel’s attacks over the weekend against over 400 Hezbollah rocket launchers and many thousands of rockets.
Since Thursday, the military has carried out at least three major waves of attacks, each of which destroyed a hundred or more rocket launchers, including one over Thursday-Friday and two on Saturday.
According to the IDF, these attacks are heavily harming Hezbollah’s ability and attempts to attack Israel.
At the same time, the Lebanese-based terrorist group still maintains a massive arsenal, including SCUD missiles, other long range precision rockets that can potentially hit all of Israel, medium range rockets that can hit Haifa and northward, and short range rockets and drones that it has used to ravage the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights for nearly a year.
All of this is occurring in the context of the IDF having killed Hezbollah Radwan chief Ibrahim Akil and around 16 other commanders, as well as accusations by Hezbollah that Israel exploded devices across Lebanon on Tuesday-Wednesday which injured between 3,000 and 4,000 Hezbollah fighters and commanders, killing dozens.
A Home Front Command app alerting of all the rockets which hit central Israel earlier this morning. September 15, 2024. (credit: FLASH90/CHAIM GOLDBERG)
HFC restrictions
The new home front restrictions mean that from Haifa and northward, gatherings are limited to 30 people outdoors and 300 indoors.
There are no changes southward of Haifa at this time, but this could change at any time based on upcoming Hezbollah attacks.
IDF chief spokesman R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari refused to commit either to a full invasion of northern Lebanon imminently or that the IDF would refrain from this.
On Friday, the air force, with information from IDF intelligence, killed Aqil and the other Hezbollah Radwan Force commanders during a meeting in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut, the IDF confirmed in a statement issued Saturday afternoon.
Aqil was the highest profile Hezbollah official to be killed by Israel since it assassinated Hezbollah military chief Fuad Shukr on July 30.
Among the other terrorists killed on Friday was Abu Hassan Samir, who served as the head of the Radwan Force training unit.
He held various positions within Hezbollah and was commander of the force for a decade until early 2024.
Samir was one of the orchestrators of the “Conquer the Galilee” attack plan, which was a model for Hamas’s October 7 invasion, though Hezbollah never carried out the plan.
He was involved in furthering Hezbollah’s entrenchment in southern Lebanon while strengthening the terrorist organization’s ground combat abilities.
The Radwan Force commander had planned and executed numerous shooting attacks and infiltrations into Israeli territory.
Among the additional Radwan Force commanders who were killed in the strike were Samer Abdul-Halim Halawi, commander of the coastal area; Abbas Sami Maslamani, commander of the Qana area; Abdullah Abbas Hajazi, commander of the Ramim Ridge area; Muhammed Ahmad Reda, commander of the Al-Khiam area; and Hassan Hussein Madi, commander of the Mount Dov area.
These commanders have been leading attacks against Israel for years.
Additionally, senior officials in Hezbollah and within Radwan’s headquarters were killed. These include Hassan Yussef Abad Alssatar, who was responsible for the force’s operations. He led and advanced all of its rocket launches.
Radwan Force Chief of Staff Hussein Ahmad Dahraj, who was also killed in the strike, was involved in the transfer of weapons and the strengthening of the organization.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to meet with various top defense and war cabinet officials at around 10:00 p.m. Saturday night to prepare for upcoming developments.
