Hezbollah reportedly evacuates Beirut HQ as IDF officers warn of possible infiltration into northern Israel

Evacuation of main stronghold may indicate attack on Israel

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The Lebanese terror group Hezbollah evacuated its headquarters in the Dahiyeh neighborhood in Beirut, the Lebanese newspaper Al-Jumhuriyah reported Monday morning.

Hezbollah has reportedly evacuated its Beirut headquarters as IDF officers warned of a potential infiltration into northern Israel.

The report indicated that the evacuation, which included "political" offices, suggests the terror group is preparing for an attack on Israel. It estimates that the response would target its facilities in the capital, which has largely remained off-limits during the ongoing exchanges of fire with Israel.

While this development suggests an imminent attack by Hezbollah forces, a similar report also appeared 10 days ago on the Saudi Al-Hadath news channel.

The latest reports from Iran suggest the regime may be nearing a final decision on how to execute the retaliatory attacks it has been threatening for nearly two weeks.

On Monday, Lebanon's parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, who is allied with Hezbollah, reiterated the threats against Israel, claiming the revenge for the killing of Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr two weeks ago was “inevitable.”

“Revenge is a dish best eaten cold,” he said, while claiming that “Hezbollah limits the attacks to Israeli military targets.”

Hezbollah's missile and rocket array is deployed in southern Lebanon, the Beqaa, and the Beirut area. Rockets of various ranges, short-range missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, coastal missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, and anti-tank missiles. The strategic arrays are… pic.twitter.com/C9KBwYQ3na
— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) August 11, 2024

After a relatively quiet Sunday, Hezbollah launched a large rocket barrage at the Western Galilee that night. Thirty rockets were launched toward the area of Kabri, causing sirens to be sounded in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya and nearby towns. There injuries or damage were reported.

Later on Sunday night, the IDF reported that it had eliminated two of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force soldiers in response to attacks during the day.

The Radwan Force parallels the role played by Hamas’ Nukhba Force and was allegedly established established with the intention of invading northern Israel and conducting deep raids into the interior of the nation. Experts believe the Oct. 7 invasion and terror attack by Hamas was based on plans developed by the Radwan Force.

On Monday, IDF officers warned that the threat had not been completely removed, despite the large Israeli forces stationed in the area.

“Why hasn't Hezbollah done this yet? Because they have chosen not to. But anyone who thinks that Hezbollah isn't training to infiltrate a squad of fighters into Israeli territory is mistaken,” the officers told Israel's Walla News.

“The working assumption for everyone should be that Hezbollah is capable of infiltrating, planting a flag in a community or an IDF post on the border, and burning several buildings. For them, this could be seen as a victory. We must not forget that this is a terrorist organization. Such an action could impact the entire region and terrorize the residents of the region.”

The IDF officer said Hezbollah maintained observers and forward troops close to the border, despite numerous airstrikes, such as the one on Sunday, which caused Hezbollah to withdraw some of its troops.

Although Israeli airstrikes have substantially diminished Radwan Force infrastructure near the Lebanese border, weakening its capability to execute large-scale surprise raids into Israel, Hezbollah continues to explore methods for such an attack. This could potentially be in response to Shukr's assassination, security officials said.