The IDF on Tuesday afternoon identified Hezbollah’s preparations to launch a massive rocket barrage at Israel. Based on lessons learned from previous incidents, the military updated the public and carried out strikes to eliminate terrorists before they could reach the launch sites.

The efforts paid off, and Hezbollah ultimately launched only about half of the number of rockets it intended to fire—instead of 100 rockets, it launched only about 40 short-range rockets at northern and central Israel, along with drones and mortars. The IDF’s preemptive strikes destroyed nearly half of the launchers before and during the attack, significantly reducing the scale of fire.

The IDF has noted a shift in Hezbollah’s tactics. The terror group’s new strategy is to launch massive rocket barrages every few days, aiming to sow panic on Israel’s home front. At the same time, Hezbollah has dismantled its mobile launchers into smaller, more mobile units and is dispersing their components across wider areas, including truck-mounted launchers.

This dispersal makes it harder for the IDF to identify the launchers and destroy them, but it also complicates Hezbollah’s ability to coordinate heavy barrages. Launchers that previously held dozens of barrels have been dismantled and replaced with smaller arrays hidden within populated areas in Shiite villages, in a deliberate attempt to use the civilian population as human shields.

Despite the significant damage inflicted by the IDF, Hezbollah is still believed to possess thousands of short‑range rockets north of the Litani River and is attempting to fire an average of 150 rockets per day. However, roughly 60% of these launches have fallen short over the past two weeks, falling inside Lebanon rather than crossing the border. Hezbollah is now attempting to move launchers farther south to increase their effective range into Israel, a move that exposes them to IDF strikes.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)