Debkafile – July 27, 2020
Israel’s northern border remained tense on Tuesday, July 28 as IDF forces prepared for another Hizballah attempt to strike a military target in the next day or two, after the first encounter with IDF troops on Mt Dov on Monday was a letdown. The next strike is expected on or around the Muslim Eid festival on Thursday. Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah declared again that the death of a fighter in an Israel strike in Syria last week was still to be avenged.
The IDF meanwhile further reinforced its border deployment along 150km from the coast to Mt. Hermon with advanced firepower, surveillance units and troops of a commando brigade, ready to ward off a Hizballah attempt to seize a military position. Hizballah units were sighted during the day near the Lebanese-Israel border fence and inside Shiite villages of the South. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister both toured the IDF northern command and warned the enemy that Israel was armed and ready for any scenario.
Hizballah prepared the way for another attack by denying that anything happened at Mt. Dov on Monday and that Israel had made a huge song and dance about a non-incident, although Hizballah fighters never fired a shot. The IDF claimed it had footage of the attack which proved otherwise.
The prime minister and defense minister warned Hizballah in joint statements Monday night, July 27 that it is “playing with fire.” Their statements came after the IDF thwarted a Hizballah intrusion and a Kornet attack on tanks at Israel’s Mt. Dov outposts. Hizballah later claimed that the incident did not happen and that its revenge for the killing of one of its fighters in Israel’s raid near Damascus last week was still to come. The IDF replied that the incident was documented.
“We take a grave view of this attempt to infiltrate our territory,” PM Binyamin Netanyahu said. “Hezbollah and the State of Lebanon are held responsible for this incident and for any further attacks originating from Lebanese territory against Israel. Hezbollah is playing with fire. Any attack against us will be answered with great force,” he said.