Nasrallah released the reins and increased the pressure - will eliminating the "scorpion" change the picture?

Senior IDF officials tried to stay away from the negotiations on the maritime economic border between Israel and Lebanon, but Hezbollah's secretary general thought otherwise and sent four UAVs towards a shark rig within a week.

The defense establishment is signaling that they will not stand in the way, which may explain the assassination of the Syrian who worked in the organization's service in Quneitra.

Amir Bohbot

07/07/2022

Thursday, 07 July 2022, 07:00

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In the video: A promotional video of the shark gas rig above which the IDF intercepted 3 Hezbollah drones (Photo: GREEN PRODUCTIONS)

In recent months, senior members of the IDF General Staff have endeavored to stay away from the process of negotiating the economic-maritime border line between Lebanon and Israel around the "Shark" gas space, claiming that "this is a political and non-military event, handled by the political echelon." Hizbullah Hassan Nasrallah thought differently, and began to speak out on the issue, while making threats against Israel.

Nasrallah initially said he would allow the Lebanese government to handle the negotiation process, but when he saw the Lebanese street criticize it, pinning hopes on the gas reservoir and the money it would generate, he stepped up his remarks.

In his last significant speech at the beginning of the month, he compared the IDF's withdrawal from the security zone in Lebanon in 2000 with the establishment of a maritime border with Israel.

Sources in the navy and the Armed Forces estimated that Hezbollah would carry out provocations, and very quickly intelligence was piled up on intentions to operate unmanned aerial vehicles in the rig area. Navy.

According to military sources, "there have been a number of jumps into the northern arena following a series of identifications suspected of operating unmanned aircraft and some of them have been recovered."

Shark rig (Photo: Official website, courtesy of Energian)

Last Wednesday, a Hezbollah UAV was identified and intercepted by the IDF, but the defense establishment preferred to hide the interception in order to contain the incident and not "humiliate" Hezbollah.

On Saturday, Hezbollah

aired three UAVs in three different directions and at different altitudes. All three were intercepted by the Air Force and Navy.

"Hezbollah tried to outwit the IDF's detection systems and make it difficult to intercept," military officials said.

We estimate that he will try to learn lessons and take further action. "

Against the background of security tensions with Hezbollah over the "shark rig", the IDF is preparing for the possibility that Hezbollah will again use a number of UAVs towards the rig in order to increase tensions and influence negotiations to determine the border area. A similar provocation coincided with US President Biden's visit to Israel to exploit security sensitivities.

On Wednesday morning, it was revealed in the Al-Akhbar newspaper that the interception of the three UAVs on Saturday was preceded by a similar operation three days earlier, during which Hezbollah operated another UAV intercepted by the IDF. Indeed, a fourth UAV is intercepted within a week.

More on Walla!

The battle for the gas rig intensifies: another UAV was intercepted last week, fighter jets were launched this week

To the full article

Farid Fouad Mustafa, the Syrian killed in the Quneitra area (Photo: Official website, from Twitter)

The scale of the events indicates that Nasrallah released the reins to the military arm in order to increase the pressure on Israel.

A few hours after the publication in Al-Akhbar and before the confirmation of the interception of the fourth UAV, it was reported on the Lebanese website "Al Miyadin" that the IDF killed a Syrian envoy on a Hezbollah mission in the Golan Heights using a UAV. For the Syrian army, he also worked in the service of Hezbollah, which in recent years has been promoting the "Golan Heights Bag" project

. The Syrian activist's targeted thwarting of "closing accounts" with Hezbollah in response to the operation of the UAVs in the rig area, and in an attempt to convey a clear message to Nasrallah that Israel will not stand aside and settle for UAV interception but will charge the Shiite organization a price.

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