'Enough is enough, don't want another Oct 7': Israel details motive for targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon (WATCH)

First Published Sep 26, 2024, 6:29 PM IST | Last Updated Sep 26, 2024, 6:29 PM IST

Amid the escalating conflict in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Thursday shared a chilling 4-minute long video detailing the reason behind a large-scale 'defensive' operation against Hezbollah, targeting what they described as hundreds of terror assets hidden within civilian areas. In the video shared, the IDF stated that the recent wave of airstrikes are intelligence-based, focusing on precise Hezbollah weapon depots and infrastructure embedded within Lebanese homes.

The operation, the IDF asserts, is in response to Hezbollah’s planned attacks on Israeli civilians, with the aim of preventing further rocket and missile launches.

Also read: Israel rejects US-French 21-day ceasefire proposal amid escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon

"The Israel Defense Forces has launched a defensive operation against the Hezbollah terror organization by conducting precise, intelligence-based strikes on hundreds of Hezbollah targets. Our goal is to thwart imminent attacks planned by Hezbollah who intended to fire the very weapons that we destroyed - at Israeli homes. Our goal is to make sure that Israeli families can safely and securely return to their homes. Where was Hezbollah hiding these weapons? Inside Lebanese homes. For the last 20 years, Hezbollah built its terror network within population centres in Lebanon - primarily throughout southern Lebanon, an area they turned almost entirely into a launch pad to attack Israel," it said in the video.

Hezbollah, classified by Israel and many Western nations as a terrorist organization, has long been accused of using civilian homes and buildings as shields for its military assets.

"According to Israeli intelligence, it is estimated that in every 2 to 3 homes in southern Lebanon, there's a Hezbollah terror asset hidden inside. The IDF has released concrete intelligence documenting Hezbollah's 'human shield strategy'. Here are a few examples of hundreds of targets: A long-range cruise missile with a 1,000 kg warhead - that Hezbollah planned to launch at Israel. Hidden in the attic of a Lebanese home, this is real footage from one such home. The DR-3 cruise missile, with a warhead of upto 300 kgs, that Hezbollah intended to use to kill Israelis - hidden inside a residential building in Lebanon. This is real footage from one such building. You can see the secondary explosions, proving that we did target, and indeed hit weapons inside those homes," the IDF added.

The IDF operation comes in the wake of heightened tensions following Hezbollah's involvement in the ongoing conflict that began with Hamas’s attack on October 7.

"On October 8, Hezbollah started attacking Israel. They chose to join the war that Hamas started on October 7 with their brutal massacre. Since October 8th, 60,000 Israeli people evacuated their homes and Hezbollah has indiscriminately fired over 9,000 rockets at Israeli homes, causing death and destruction. One of these attacks killed 12 kids playing soccer on a Saturday night in Majdal Shams. After almost a year of Hezbollah rockets, missiles, suicide drones, and ground attacks; after almost a year of Israel calling and seeking diplomatic solution; after almost a year of restraint from Israel - our defense operation against Hezbollah sends a clear message: Enough is enough," the IDF said in the video.

Israel’s military efforts are being carried out, the IDF emphasizes, in full compliance with international law. To minimize civilian harm, Israel has taken unprecedented steps, including broadcasting warnings to Lebanese civilians to evacuate areas where Hezbollah has hidden its weapons. "Israel is basically telegraphing its punches to its enemy so that it can minimize civilian harm," the IDF said.

However, the IDF accuses Hezbollah of deliberately placing civilians in harm’s way, urging them to stay put and ignore Israeli warnings. Hezbollah, they claim, is aiming to maximize harm to Lebanese civilians in a bid to complicate Israel's defensive operations.

"Hezbollah, however, seeks to maximize harm to the Lebanese civilians it uses as human shields. Hezbollah called on Lebanese civilians to 'stay put', 'don't evacuate'. While Hezbollah target civilians, Israel is solely striking Hezbollah terrorist and military targets. We do this in full compliance with international law. Israel is a democratic state under threat from a terror organization whose stated goal is to destroy Israel. Hezbollah has openly declared that it has a plan to carry out its own October the 7th massacre on Israel's northern border - but on an even larger scale. They call this plan 'Conquer the Galilee'," the IDF said.

Also read: Israel prepares for ground assault on Hezbollah as airstrikes displace over 90,000 people in Lebanon (WATCH)

The IDF further said, "For years, Hezbollah is planning to do in northern Israel what Hamas did in south Israel on October 7th: Invade Israel, infiltrate civilian communities, and massacre innocent civilians. When the world came together and said that October the 7th can never happen again - the defensive action that Israel has been taking against Hezbollah fulfills that promise. Hezbollah planned to launch their October the 7th attack from the villages that they've been building their forces in for the last two decades. These villages, which are just across the border from Israel, have become bases of attacks."

The IDF’s message concludes with a strong warning, reinforcing Israel's determination to ensure such an attack like the October 7 massacre never materializes and emphasizing the country’s duty to protect its citizens.

"For the past two decades, Hezbollah has consistently and relentlessly deepened its presence in southern Lebanon, building outposts, along the blue line, hiding massive amounts of arms in the villages of southern Lebanon in clear violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. We have a duty to make sure that Israeli civilians can return safely back to their homes. We have a duty to make sure that October the 7th never happens again - on any one of our borders," the IDF concluded.

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