Israel Warns of Hezbollah Threats to Haifa, Northern Israel

Latest Developments

Israel on January 30 warned of major threats to Haifa and northern Israel in the event of full-scale war with Hezbollah. “The stage will come when our patience will run out, and a forceful action to enforce peace on the northern border will also affect the Haifa metropolis,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said. The Jerusalem Post reported that Israeli defense “officials believe that even if Iron Dome maintained an 80-90% shoot-down rate, enough rockets would get through the missile shield to do major damage to Haifa and some other cities.” Israel has sought a diplomatic resolution to Hezbollah’s threats, but the terrorist group has launched thousands of attacks against Israel in the wake of the Hamas massacre on October 7.

Expert Analysis

“Daily attacks by Hezbollah continue to target Israeli border communities. More than 80,000 Israelis have been forced from their homes since October as a result. Hezbollah must be deterred and its forces should be withdrawn from the border area to prevent the continued rocket fire and attacks on Israel.” — Seth J. Frantzman, FDD Adjunct Fellow

“Hezbollah continues to support Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip by launching cross-border attacks against Israel. Despite implementing this strategy to tie up Israeli military resources and maintain pressure on the Jewish state as part of a multi-front campaign, Hezbollah has not met both its own expectations and those of its backers in Tehran. Israel continues to make gains in Gaza and has so far effectively countered Hezbollah attacks in the north.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Rockets Fired at Northern Israel

Terrorists fired three rockets from Syria at the Golan Heights on the evening of January 30. On the same day, terrorists in Lebanon fired a rocket at the Israeli Arab Bedouin community of Arab al-Aramshe, which is located very close to the Lebanese border in northern Israel. Israel has evacuated most of the 80,000 residents of border communities since October 7. Some residents remain to protect their communities or take care of local businesses. Israel continues to carry out retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah. On January 30, the IDF struck a Hezbollah command post in Lebanon.

Hezbollah Threatens Israeli Mayor of Border Community

Hezbollah has escalated its threats to the north by singling out individual Israelis as potential targets. A reporter from Hezbollah’s al-Manar media threatened Eitan Davidi, the mayor of the border community of Margaliot, by posting a photo of Davidi in the gunsights of a rifle. Davidi described the attempted intimidation in a January 29 interview with Israeli radio, saying he would not be deterred from returning to his community and protecting it.

Related Analysis

“Five Iranian Military Officers Killed in Syria,” FDD Flash Brief

“Iran-Backed Drone Attack Kills Three U.S. Servicemembers in Jordan,” FDD Flash Brief

“Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Northern Israel as IDF Chief Warns of Escalation,” FDD Flash Brief