Nasrallah confirms: Hezbollah drones targeted IDF intelligence base near Tel Aviv

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed his terror group struck an IDF intelligence base near Tel Aviv this morning, during a televised speech on Sunday evening, confirming earlier Israeli reports that the base was a target.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a broad wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon in the early morning hours on Sunday, stating that Hezbollah was about to launch a massive attack on Israel.

Nasrallah claimed that Israel’s strikes failed and not one rocket launcher of the terror group had been hit.

Despite the pre-emptive strikes, Hezbollah managed to launch some 200 rockets and dozens of drones. Contrary to Nasrallah's claims, the IDF said no significant damage was caused to its bases, neither the ones close to the border nor any bases in central Israel.

Military sources told Israeli media they estimated that a large base of the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate, located in Glilot, just north of Tel Aviv, was the target of several Hezbollah drones that were shot down during the exchange of fire.

As Nasrallah noted in his speech, the base houses the headquarters of the Signals Intelligence Unit 8200, as well as a military academy and other units. The Mossad foreign intelligence headquarters are also located nearby.

“From the beginning, we decided that we would target military targets and not civilians, even though Israel has harmed civilians and we have the right to harm them as well,” Nasrallah said.

Despite this, apart from the death of an Israeli sailor, caused by a malfunction, most of the damage caused by Hezbollah's attacks was in civilian areas.

Among others, a house in Acre suffered a direct hit, and a chicken coop near the border was destroyed.

Nasrallah also said, “The response had to be a military base as well, such as an intelligence base or an air force base because they are the ones responsible for the elimination of Fuad Shukr.”

Hezbollah’s military commander Fuad Shukr was eliminated in an Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut three weeks ago.

Nasrallah said the decision was made to attack the Glilot military post, “a major target deep in Israel - a base of Israeli intelligence operations, which is located 110 km from the Lebanese border and 1,500 meters from the border of the city of Tel Aviv.”

Most of the drones targeted Glilot, while others were launched at another IDF post near Ein Shemer, the terror chief said. He said 11 IDF bases in northern Israel were targeted with approximately 300 rockets, which were mainly intended to keep the Iron Dome system occupied.

According to Reuters, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged messages during the day to signal that the fire exchange was over for now.

However, Nasrallah emphasized that Israel’s waiting period was not over after the Hezbollah attack, noting: “Each party in the axis of resistance has the right to determine when and how to respond. After Hezbollah’s response against Israel, Iran will also respond, and the Houthis.”

The so-called “Axis of Resistance” is the term used to describe the Iranian regime’s proxy groups across the region, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Yemeni Houthi terrorists, among others.

The Houthis praised Hezbollah for the “courageous attack carried out by the resistance this morning against the Israeli enemy,” and renewed its threat to retaliate against Israel for the strikes on its port in Hodeidah last month.