Supporting the "Al-Aqsa Flood": Hezbollah on the road to Jerusalem.

On 7 October 2023, Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, in coordination with other Palestinian armed factions based in the Gaza Strip, launched the military operation “Al-Aqsa Flood”, a surprise attack against military posts, bases, and kibbutzim on Israeli territory and in Israeli-occupied areas. Already in the following days, Hezbollah undertook military operations on the Israeli-Palestinian border and extensive propaganda in support of the Palestinians, increasing the risk of an escalation of the regional conflict. Some Palestinian political and armed movements and Hezbollah have both been supported by Iran for years and both see the weakening or defeat of Israel as their main goal. Unlike the Palestinian armed groups, however, Hezbollah has so far not gone to war exclusively for the Palestinian cause but has limited itself to conducting, albeit numerous, attacks in various border areas. It is important to specify that the Lebanese battalions of both the al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas’ military wing) and the al-Quds Brigades (Islamic Jihad's military wing) are also active in the Israeli-Palestinian border areas, and have conducted numerous attacks in Northern Israel or the areas of the occupied farms, obviously with Hezbollah’s approval, confirming an alliance relationship between them. On the other hand, the collaboration between Hezbollah and the al-Qassam and al-Quds brigades is a fact, also confirmed by a video published on al-Qassam’s private channels in late October, recorded several months earlier, which showed an operations room with computers and maps and several militants discussing a plan of attack against Israel, from which one can recognise on the uniforms the badges of various Iranian or pro-Iranian groups and militias, dealing with militants of the Palestinian al-Qassam, al-Quds and Martyrs of Al-Aqsa brigades, such as the IRGC, Lebanese Hezbollah, Hashd Shaabi, Kataib Hezbollah, Asa’ib Ahl al-Haqq, Harakat Nujaba and Fatimiyoun.

Hezbollah, through its deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, stated that “when the time comes for any action, we will carry it out”, saying that “Hezbollah is ready to contribute to the clashes against Israel according to its plan”, just as the organisation's leader Nasrallah stated that Hezbollah's cross-border attacks have pushed Israeli forces away from the Gaza front, creating a second front, easing the military concentration against Palestinian armed groups in Gaza.

From 8 October to 4 February Hezbollah and Palestinian battalions in Lebanon conducted 961 different types of attacks, such as rocket launches, anti-tank guided missiles, mortar strikes, surface-to-air drones, and ATGMs, against the IDF or its facilities (e.g. destroying surveillance cameras and antennas of several positions or bases).

The areas most targeted were: Shebaa Farms, Golan, Manara, Avivim, Shomera, Zar'it, Metula, Hanita, Margaliot, Malikiya, Bar'am, Shtula, Yftah, Arab al-Aramshe, Haifa, Nahariya, Jal al-Allam, Hadab Yaron, Baranit, Birkat Risha and Kiryat Shmona, disseminating daily videos of the attacks.

On 5 February, through its official media, Hezbollah distributed an infographic entitled: “Islamic Resistance operations on the Jerusalem Road” showing and claiming military operations conducted against Israel.

This is the summary of the published infographic:

• 961 military operations.

Enemy losses:

• 56 vehicles (4 logistical vehicles, 28 personnel carriers, 24 tanks).

• 26 command centers.

• 178 bunkers and positions in sites and settlements.

• Over 500 settlement units were destroyed.

• 237 technical equipment (Visibility shields, electro-optical devices, radars, communications and intelligence devices, jamming devices).

• 311 personnel positions.

• 2 military factory.

• 25 border walls.

• 14 artillery emplacements.

• 2 Iron Dome platforms.

• 5 drones and planes.

Human losses:

Over 2,000 between dead and wounded.

Operation Rate:

• The average number of operations per day is 8.

• The highest number of operations is 26.

• The lowest number of operations is 2.

Border sites:

The border sites that were targeted

• 22 settlements targeted 72 times.

• 45 border sites targeted 670 times.

• 19 rear sites targeted 61 times.

• 53 border points targeted 122 times.

Evacuation of Settlers:

• 5 km - the radius of the evacuated area.

• 43 - Number of announced evacuated settlements.

• 81,000 - Number of announced displaced settlers.

• 230,000 - Actual number of displaced settlers.

Documentation:

• 186 - Scenes of targetings distributed to media.

• 98 - Number of releases.

Weapons used:

The numbers mentioned are the number of shootings/launching (as a military action) and not the number of projectiles or missiles.

• 323 - Artillery.

• 244 - Surface-to-surface missiles.

• 68 - Sniper rifles and machine guns.

• 40 - Air defense

• 23 - Air attacks (drones)

• 385 - Guided missiles.

• 85 - Direct weapons.

• 9 - Engineering weapons.

• 72 - Various weapons.

Hezbollah also acknowledged the deaths of several of its fighters due to Israeli air strikes, published photos and eulogised the martyrdom of 250 fighters.

Daniele Garofalo is a researcher and analyst on Jihadist terrorism and an expert in monitoring Jihadist media channels.

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