IDF sends reinforcements to the north, bracing for Hezbollah attack

The Israeli army sent additional troops and artillery to the region bordering Lebanon on Saturday, with Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah broadcasting new threats on the same day.

By World Israel News Staff

On Saturday, the IDF transferred artillery and troops to Israel’s northern border in the wake of several strikes in Lebanon for which the Hezbollah terror group blamed the Jewish state.

While there was no official statement from the IDF on the move, Israel’s Channel 13 News posted footage of a convoy of tanks and other equipment heading in the direction of the border.

Israel has remained in a state of preparedness for revenge attacks by the Lebanon-based Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group after a string of strikes in the region blamed on Israel targeting Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.

According to the Lebanese media, several explosions were heard along the Israeli-Lebanon border on Saturday evening.

Earlier on Saturday, additional threats were issued in Lebanon by Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who vowed from his bunker to take revenge on Israel over a Beirut attack that reportedly destroyed critical equipment used in the terror group’s precision missile program.

Nasrallah has remained in hiding since 2006’s Second Lebanon War.

“Israel must know that Lebanese airspace is not open to it,” declared Nasrallah, adding, “We do not have a precision missile factory. Netanyahu is lying.”

“The response will come from Lebanon, but we will choose the exact location and time,” said the terror chief, according to Channel 13.

According to the Lebanese media, several explosions were heard along the Israel-Lebanon border on Saturday evening.

On Friday, Army Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi arrived near the border following the cancellation of leave for combat soldiers in the area, with the IDF warning that Israel would deliver a “harsh” response to any strike by Hezbollah terrorists.

On the Israeli side of the border, there is speculation that Hezbollah seeks to attack a military target, rather than civilians, in an effort to avoid sparking all-out war with Israel.

According to a Lebanese assessment reported by Channel 13, Hezbollah is planning an attack on three fronts, firing anti-patrol missiles near the border, shooting Katyushas at posts, and launching additional strikes, with the proceedings filmed for broadcast in a dramatic fashion on the Al-Manar channel.

On Thursday, Lebanese troops fired their weapons on craft they claimed were Israeli drones.

Earlier that day, the United Nations Security Council extended the UNIFIL peacekeeping force’s mandate in the region until August 2020, with the U.N. demanding caution from all parties.