According to Israeli media, which the IDF later confirmed, Hezbollah targeted an Israeli fighter jet with anti-aircraft missiles for the first time against Israel.
Another concerning “first” in the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation, which has been raging since October 7 in tandem with the Hamas-led Gaza war, has occurred. According to Israeli media, a group of Hezbollah operatives attempted to bring down an Israeli fighter jet that was over the area.
The Israeli jet was targeted by the organization with anti-aircraft missiles on Sunday when it flew over southern Lebanon. Although the jet did not sustain any damage, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the occurrence as a noteworthy development and promptly launched a counterattack.
According to an IDF statement, “It appeared to be the first use of anti-aircraft missiles in Lebanon against Israeli jets since war broke out eight months ago, and came after several weeks that have seen Hezbollah slowly ratchet up the scale, intensity, and reach of hostilities.”
According to the IDF, a military drone “struck and killed the cell” not far from Tyre, a seaside city, shortly after the anti-aircraft missile attack.
Although it seems that this is Hezbollah’s first effort to down a piloted warplane, the Iranian-backed Lebanese paramilitary group has continued to have some success against more sophisticated Israeli drones. Long War Journal notes as follows:
Hezbollah is also increasing its use of surface-to-air missiles. On June 10, the group downed an Israeli Hermes 900 drone. This is at least the third Hermes 900 that has been shot down. Another Hermes 900 was downed on June 1. A Hermes 450 was shot down in April and another in February. Hezbollah appears to be having increased success against large- and medium-sized Israeli drones.
Many of these Hermes drone downings have been documented on camera, and Hezbollah and its allies have since celebrated them.
All of this shows how sophisticated Hezbollah’s weapons and operations are, especially considering that it is a paramilitary organization and a non-state player.
The use of drones and anti-tank missiles by the Israeli Air Force has increased significantly in recent weeks, as many observers in the region have noted. If an Israeli Air Force plane were to be shot down, it would signal a significant escalation at a time when Tel Aviv is already considering whether to invade south Lebanon in order to drive out Hezbollah.
Regarding Israel, it has been retaliating against targets located ever deeper within Lebanon. The IDF attacked a location in the far-off Baalbek region overnight on Monday and Tuesday. This region is known to have Hezbollah bases and command units. Additionally, Israeli aircraft have persisted in attacking “Iranian assets” within Syria, frequently evading Syrian anti-air defenses by flying via Lebanese territory.
Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that Hezbollah announced in a statement they had launched their first-ever Lebanese airstrike on an Israeli base and released accompanying videos.
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