Hezbollah airs drone footage of Israeli military sites in Golan Heights

Adam Lucente

Jul 9, 2024

A flag bearing portraits of (L-R) slain Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Hezbollah military leader Imad Moghniyeh, and Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, flutters after a raising ceremony by Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters and members on a hill facing the Israeli northern town of Metula by the border with Lebanon, on January 3, 2021, to mark the first anniversary of the killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis in a US drone strike. (Photo by Ali DIA / AFP) (Photo by ALI DIA/AFP via Get — A flag bearing portraits of (L-R) slain Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Hezbollah military leader Imad Moghniyeh, and Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani, flutters after a raising ceremony by Lebanon's Hezbollah supporters and members on a hill facing the Israeli northern town of Metula by the border with Lebanon, on January 3, 2021, to mark the first anniversary of the killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis in a US drone strike. — ALI DIA/AFP via Getty Images

Hezbollah showcased purported footage of Israeli military sites in the Golan Heights on Tuesday amid international efforts to prevent an all-out war in Lebanon.

The nearly 10-minute video contains drone footage of several sites throughout the territory annexed from Syria in 1981. The aerial shots reveal a series of structures that Hezbollah says include Israeli military bases, radar systems, barracks, vehicles, the Iron Dome air defense system and ammunition depots.

Hezbollah published another surveillance footage from a drone, which managed to scan the Golan Heights area
pic.twitter.com/Vv7JztD0ge
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) July 9, 2024

At the end of the video, Hezbollah shared footage of an unspecified Israeli city as a preview of the “next episode.” The city’s location near a large body of water led some viewers to suggest it is Tiberias.

Towards the end of the clip, and to add more drama, Hezbollah media warfare teased the next episode with footage from another city, Tiberias. https://t.co/Oop8fJTaix pic.twitter.com/FGJiipeVYP
— Ali Hashem علي هاشم (@alihashem_tv) July 9, 2024

Israel took the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 war. In 2019, US President Donald Trump recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

Why it matters: The video, the second in a series from the Iran-backed party, comes as tensions between Hezbollah and Israel have escalated. In June, Hezbollah released the first video, dubbed “Hudhud,” showing footage of the Israeli city of Haifa, including its air and sea ports.

In separate statements on Tuesday, Hezbollah said it fired artillery shells at an Israeli military site in Al-Marj as well as a guided missile at Israeli surveillance equipment at the Hadb Yarin site, according to the group’s news outlet, Al-Manar.

The Israeli military said in posts on X that it intercepted several projectile launches from Lebanon.

Last week, Israel killed senior Hezbollah commander Hajj Abu Neameh in southern Lebanon, prompting Hezbollah to fire hundreds of rockets at Israel.

The United States and France have been working to de-escalate the situation on the Israel-Lebanon border in recent weeks. US special envoy Amos Hochstein visited France last week for meetings with France’s envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Know more: Hezbollah announced on Tuesday the death of Yasser Nemr Qranbish, describing him as a "martyr" without further details, Al-Manar reported. The Associated Press described him as a former bodyguard for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and reported he was killed in an Israeli strike.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that two people were killed in an Israeli drone attack near Jdaidit Yabws, west of Damascus. The two deceased individuals were "believed" to have been members of Hezbollah, while a third person, a Syrian driver, was injured, according to the observatory.