Escalating rocket barrages push Israel to expand targets

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

The skies over Israel on Tuesday night into Wednesday, filled with Iranian rockets launched from areas across the south to Tel Aviv, marked a pivotal day in the war against Iran.

The barrage appears to have challenged the notion of a short war lasting only a few weeks and expanded the target list to include oil facilities.

The challenges posed by Iran have not prevented Tel Aviv from widening the front with Lebanon, expanding its list of targets, and intensifying ground incursions, despite the continued return of helicopters carrying wounded soldiers from daily direct clashes in Lebanon.

Israeli field decisions followed military assessments presented after a security meeting, which indicated that Hezbollah is planning to launch heavy rocket barrages ranging from 100 to 150 rockets every few days.

The army is seeking to undermine these capabilities, targeting areas south of the Litani River, where it says Hezbollah has moved a significant portion of its missiles.

According to multiple Israeli media outlets citing a senior Northern Command official, hundreds of fighters from Hezbollah’s Radwan Force have advanced south of the Litani River, with around 1,000 now deployed across a wide area in small cells.