Hezbollah Establishes Armed Posts in Israeli Territory  

Latest Developments  

The Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah has established military posts on Mount Dov inside sovereign Israeli territory at the border with Lebanon, a discussion in the Israeli parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee disclosed on June 21. “We are trying to resolve the issues with all parties,” United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not acted militarily against the breach. “The IDF is aware of the situation, and it is [being] handled by all the relevant parties,” an IDF spokesperson told the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. 

Expert Analysis 

“Israeli security officials determined years ago that Hezbollah aims to plant its yellow flag on Israeli soil in a coming conflict. The goal is not to capture and hold territory. Rather, it is to wage psychological warfare against the Israeli population, conveying the group’s intent through blunt symbolism. This most recent episode is fully consistent with that strategy — one devised jointly with Hezbollah’s patrons in Tehran.” — Jonathan Schanzer, FDD Senior Vice President for Research  

“Hezbollah’s establishment of armed posts inside Israeli territory is not an isolated incident and is another indication that it has embarked on a dangerous strategy to test Israel’s redlines. In recent years and months, Hezbollah has launched drones on the Karish gas field, supported attacks against Israel by Palestinian armed groups in southern Lebanon, and conducted a bombing attack at the Megiddo junction in northern Israel.” — Joe Truzman, Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal 

Hezbollah’s Threats 

Speaking at the Herzliya Conference at Israel’s Reichman University on May 22, Israel’s director of military intelligence, Aharon Haliva, warned that Hezbollah “is close to a mistake that could plunge the region into a major war.” Three days later, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah responded, “You are not the ones to threaten a grand war; we are the ones who rather threaten you with it.”   

Megiddo Junction Bombing  

On April 13, a 21-year-old motorist was critically injured on Route 65 in northern Israel by a roadside bomb planted by a Hezbollah terrorist who crossed the border using a ladder. Israeli forces shot and killed the attacker while he was traveling near the Israeli border after a Shin Bet and police SWAT team unit identified him armed with weapons, including a suicide bomber vest.  

Related Analysis  

“The Quiet War between Israel and Iran,” by Jonathan Schanzer  

“PGMs: Iran’s Precision-Guided Munitions Project in the Shadow of a Nuclear Deal,” by Jonathan Schanzer and Mark Dubowitz  

“Israel Suspects Infiltrator From Lebanon in Rare Roadside Bombing,” FDD Flash Brief