Hezbollah’s 9-minute-long and high-quality video taken over the city of Haifa raises major issues for the military after Iran-backed terror group unveils new and possibly deadly capabilities; IDF saw and did not intercept drone because it has no offensive capabilities
The unusual footage Hezbollah released on Tuesday which allegedly shows strategic assets in the Haifa Port area filmed by a drone codenamed “Hudhud” (hoopoe, the national bird of Israel), raises several questions regarding Israel’s air defense capabilities.https://p.ynet.co.il/XRDbA68IN/
If, as Hezbollah claims, the footage was indeed captured by a drone that infiltrated Israeli airspace and returned to Lebanon, the main issue is how it managed to do so without tripping any warnings or alarms. The footage is nine minutes long, and another important issue it presents is how the drone managed to produce such high-quality, color images of sensitive sites from a relatively low altitude for such a long period of time.
The footage appears to show details about the facilities at the Rafael defense company factory – including Iron Dome batteries, rocket engine depots, David’s Slingshot facilities and radar. The UAV also photographed the Savioni Yam neighborhood in Kiryat Yam, apartment towers, a commercial center and a supermarket.
In the part where the Haifa port is photographed, ship hangars, a Naval base and structures that support special units, and the logistics aid ship Bat Yam were recorded.
Sources cited by Hezbollah-owned news outlet Al-Mayadeen claimed that “the video includes three types of targets: military (the military industries complex and the base in Haifa), civilian (residential areas), and strategic (the Haifa Port and its facilities). All types of targets created a deterrence against Israel. Hezbollah wants to say that action against our military, civilian and strategic locations will be answered in the same manner.” The sources added the footage was the first released in a series of video clips.
Hours after the footage was released, the Israeli Air Force reported that air defense systems had identified the drone but decided not to intercept it after recognizing it had no offensive capabilities and fearing a failed interception could endanger residents in the area.
________________
Related:
Israel warns of prospect of ‘all-out war’ after Hezbollah publishes video of military, civilian sites
Updated 9:55 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2024
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/18/middleeast/hezbollah-drone-video-israel-haifa-intl-latam/index.html