Israel SitRep: November 1, 2024

Today’s Issue: | IAF Overnight Strikes in Beirut and Nabatieh Target Hezbollah Command Centers, Weapons Production Sites | IAF Strikes More Than 200 Hezbollah and Hamas Targets; Lebanon and Gaza Ground Operations Continue | IAF Stikes Hezbollah Weapons-Smuggling Infrastructure in Syria; IDF: Hezbollah Munitions Unit Expanding Activity in Syria | In West Bank’s Tulkarem, IDF Eliminates Three Terrorists, Destroys Bombs Under Roads | Latest FDD Analysis

IAF Overnight Strikes in Beirut and Nabatieh Target Hezbollah Command Centers, Weapons Production Sites: The IDF announced on Friday that overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah targets in the Beirut and Nabatieh areas, including Hezbollah command centers and weapons production sites. In Beirut, IAF fighter jets, with precise intelligence from Aman military intelligence, struck command centers, weapons production sites, and other infrastructures. In Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, fighter jets, with guidance from the Northern Command, attacked intelligence infrastructures and command centers used by Hezbollah’s Southern Front. The IDF noted that the targets were located in the heart of a civilian population, adding that prior to the attacks, it took many steps to minimize harm to civilians, including warnings. The military stated that “this attack is another part of the ongoing effort to damage infrastructures belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Beirut area.”

IAF Strikes More Than 200 Hezbollah and Hamas Targets; Lebanon and Gaza Ground Operations Continue: The IDF announced on Friday that the Israeli Air Force has struck more than 200 Hezbollah and Hamas targets in the past day, including launchers, command-and-control centers, and military infrastructures. Yesterday, the IAF, in cooperation with the Northern Command, destroyed the launcher from which rockets were fired at the Haifa area, killing a mother and her son, and eliminated the launcher’s operator. In ground operations in Lebanon, the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division and 146th Division are continuing fighting, destroying launchers and military buildings, finding weapons, and eliminating terrorists. During operations by the 769th Brigade, the troops destroyed military buildings containing a large amount of Hezbollah equipment and weaponry. In Gaza, IDF troops are continuing operations in the northern, central, and southern parts of the strip. The 401st Armored Brigade and the Givati Brigade are fighting in the Jabalya area in northern Gaza, eliminating dozens of terrorists on the ground and in airstrikes and raiding military buildings. The 252nd Division is operating in central Gaza, where troops have eliminated armed men. In Rafah in southern Gaza, after soldiers from the Nahal Brigade spotted terrorists inside a building with a tunnel shaft, they called in an airstrike, and an Israeli Air Force drone eliminated them.

IAF Stikes Hezbollah Weapons-Smuggling Infrastructure in Syria; IDF: Hezbollah Munitions Unit Expanding Activity in Syria: On Thursday, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck weapons depots and command centers used by Hezbollah’s Radwan Force and its munitions unit in the Al-Qusayr area in Syria. The IDF has been conducting strikes in recent months to reduce the flow of arms from Iran to Hezbollah via Syria. According to the military, Hezbollah’s munitions unit, which is responsible for storing weapons in Lebanon, has recently expanded its activities to Al-Qusayr, located near Syria’s border with Lebanon, and has created an infrastructure for transferring weapons into Lebanon. The Israeli Air Force has been striking weapons depots, along with infrastructures of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 — which is responsible for moving weapons from Iran to Lebanon via Syria — and has also struck several border crossings between Syria and Lebanon in the past month. According to the Alma Research and Education Center, there are more than 130 border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, only six of them official, the others wide open.

In West Bank’s Tulkarem, IDF Eliminates Three Terrorists, Destroys Bombs Under Roads: On Friday, the IDF reported on its operation in the Nur Shams refugee camp, conducted by soldiers from the Haruv reconnaissance unit, together with Border Police forces and the Shin Bet. During the operation, an Israeli Air Force drone killed two gunmen, Ahmed Issam Fahmawi and Abdul Aziz Abu Samman, who shot at troops. According to the IDF, the two were terrorists from the Nur Shams areas who were involved with explosives. During the operation, Haruv soldiers also killed a terrorist who posed a threat to the troops, and in close combat, wounded several others. IDF engineering tools destroyed several bombs planted under the roads, which were intended to be used against the IDF. In addition, a drone detected terrorists using a compound in a Tulkarem hospital for moving weapons.

Latest FDD Analysis:

Today at 8:30am (ET): “FDD Morning Brief,” featuring Jonathan Schanzer and Nadav Eyal, FDD Event

“For 75 years, UNRWA has sought to undermine Israel, perpetuate conflict,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Iran’s military budget is growing: What does that mean for the Middle East?” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Between proxies and a new attack on Israel: Iran’s dilemma,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Iran invests in new Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem,” Seth J. Frantzman, The Jerusalem Post

“Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: November,” John Hardie, et al., FDD Tracker

“Hezbollah Launches Lethal Strikes on Northern Israel as Lebanon Ceasefire Hints Circulate,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Paris Court Overturns Ban on Israeli Participation in French Arms Fair,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Germany Shuts Down Iranian Consulates, Urges Sanctions Following Citizen’s Execution,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Downs Second Drone Smuggling Weapons from Egypt,” FDD Experts, FDD Flash Brief