At the end of July, there is trouble on the Israeli border - both from Syria and from Lebanon. On July 26, the IDF reported that an Israeli drone crashed in Lebanon, the Israelis killed Hezbollah fighters in Syria, in the Khar Dov region (northern Israel), after which a shootout began and residents were ordered not to leave their homes.
In general, Israel and Hezbollah in July by joint efforts - as best they could - created tension.
For example, a group of three to five people from Hezbollah tried to infiltrate Israel through a strip of disputed territory controlled by Israel but bordering Lebanon (part of the Golan Heights), but, according to the Israeli military, after crossing the Blue Line dividing Israel and Lebanon, came under fire from small arms and tanks.
In response, Hezbollah in a statement denied Israel's accusations, saying that it did not attack Israel and that the group of militants did not suffer any losses, but for the Israeli shelling of southern Lebanon they "swore revenge."
“There was no operation, it was all a theatrical performance,” a spokesman for the group said.
Hezbollah must know that it is playing with fire and we will respond with greater force to any attack, ”Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on July 27, 2020.
Hezbollah is today the most powerful military and political force in Lebanon, and along with its allies, it controls the parliament and cabinet. And at the same time, this organization is included by the United States in the list of terrorist organizations, ”sums up the WSJ.
Israel and Hezbollah fought two real wars, the last of which took place in 2006, defusing flares of conflict for another year.
What is happening today is more like a mutual titillation of nerves, and nothing more: all incidents do without casualties.
Take even the sensational raid of American F-15 fighters a week ago (at first the Iranian media called them the Israeli Air Force). They took to the air over Syria and surrounded, cutting off, the Iranian company Mahan Air airliner in mid-air, forcing it to make an emergency landing. Some passengers had their faces smashed (due to the airliner's emergency maneuvers), but no one was seriously injured. In this way, the United States (probably when interacting with Israel) warned the Iranian IRGC to stop using civil liners with civilian passengers acting as human shields.
Alex Fishman, a military columnist for the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot, notes that the “exchange of strikes” between Israel and Hezbollah follows a similar scenario: “there is no shooting, explosion, no injuries, but there is PR on both sides of the border. And it looks strange. On the border between Syria and Lebanon, a Hezbollah jeep was blown up with a rocket. No harm done. It would seem: an explosion! The car was destroyed. But there are no casualties. In another incident, a missile hit an Israeli army ambulance. And again a miracle! No harm done. So yesterday: another brutal firefight without casualties. And an anonymous source in the IDF reports that it was a deliberate decision not to eliminate the militants who crossed the border with Israel. "
Well, you get the idea. Lovely ones scold - only amuse themselves. And if you know what is happening at this time a little to the east, in the same Middle East, then in general one might think that what is happening near the Israeli borders (with the consent, obviously, of Israel) is just a diversion for the world media.
“What's going on to the east? - you ask. - And where to look?
You need to look at the map of Iran, on the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, where significant military exercises took place these days.
These exercises deserve much more serious attention than the next bang-bang on empty cars on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Because, for example, they passed within a month after the promulgation of the 25-year strategic plan for cooperation between the Islamic Republic and China. Because it is in this area, according to the promulgated part of the plan, that the military units of the PLA (National Liberation Army of China) may soon be deployed, and Brian Hook, the US special envoy for Iran, believes that this deal includes an oil concession to Chinese companies. long-term lease of the Iranian islands and justification for the presence of the Chinese military on them.
Let's see what these teachings were and did we see something new among the Iranians?
So, in the last days of July in the Strait of Hormuz, the Revolutionary Guard conducted large-scale naval exercises, in which they practiced an attack on the American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. This is a serious vessel, with fifteen F-18 fighters on board. In April, a serious incident almost happened between the United States and Iran: 11 high-speed Iranian boats managed to bypass American ships patrolling the area, which angered Trump and his order to the US Navy in the future to eliminate any Iranian ships that are pursuing Americans in the region.
A few months later, the Iranians revived a mock-up of a fake American aircraft carrier, which they had already used during a 2015 exercise and repaired, pulled it out into the water, and on July 29, 2020, played out a different scenario that did not happen in April. The aircraft carrier enters a narrow sea strait between Oman and Iran, through which a quarter of the world's oil exports pass, and then a helicopter belonging to the IRGC begins to pursue it, which launches a rocket in its direction, while Iranian speedboats surround the ship. According to Iranian television, the mock ship was destroyed by surface-to-sea missiles fired from Iranian territory. This new rocket received the name "Prophet Muhammad 14", a loud and formidable name, which was met ambiguously on the network, primarily because to shoot at an already knocked out iron dummy mockup and a real American aircraft carrier with 15 fighters on board - as it were some difference. But the message of the Iranians is simple: we have shown the possibilities, we are ready for any excesses. Famous Iranian tactic of playing on the nerves.
“Meanwhile, while the media was distracted by the layout of the aircraft carrier, the Revolutionary Guards showed off completely new unknown weapons such as long-range ballistic missiles capable of hitting offensive floating targets at a distance,” General Abbas Nilforoushan told Sepahnews.
At the same time, the IRGC Aerospace Force unveiled their new underground #Missiles during air and sea exercises.
The specialized Iranian site IMA Media has published a video about the innovations presented during the exercise. During these exercises, three ballistic missiles were tested. One of them looks like a Zolfaqar missile with a range of 700 km, the second is a Dezful with a range of 1000 km, and the third will be completely new. The Islamic Republic's reliance on ballistic missiles in its defense strategy became clear a year ago, when the head of the IRGC was rotated, when General Hossein Salami, a ballistic missile specialist, was put in charge of the entire Corps.
#Exclusive | #IRGC Unveils 'Underground' Missiles in Its New Drill
The #IRGC Aerospace Force unveiled and test-fired its new underground #Missiles during its aerial and naval drills, codenamed Payambar-e Azam (The Great Prophet) 14.More
: https: / /t.co/W5utyUcGhYpic.twitter.com/ObXoPeaFe5
Sepahnews also published the successful launch of four underground ballistic missiles "from the depths of the earth in a completely disguised manner." This, according to the IRGC, will create serious problems for enemy intelligence organizations. It looks, I must say, it's really impressive:
رویش موشک های بالستیک دفن شده در اعماق زمین
در رزمایش پیامبر اعظم (ص) 14 ؛
"نام ومشخصات این موشک محرمانه است" # مزرعه_موشکی pic.twitter.com/kLEHlBEURS
US Central Command, incidentally, reported that ballistic missile firing of the Iranians interrupted activities at US bases in Al-Jafra, Abu Dhabi and Al-Udeid in Qatar for several minutes.
To demonstrate its capabilities, Tehran continues to taunt the United States by publishing aerial photographs of the American military base at Al Udeid in Qatar, taken with the Iranian satellite Nour-1. And ballistic missiles, buried deep in the ground, were fired in the very same Hormozgan, in the south of the country - looking directly at the UAE and Bahrain.
And Jask, a port that Iran can lease to China, is right here. That is, these Iranian military exercises in the south of the country can be viewed not only as a demonstration of the defense potential of the Islamic Republic, but also as a serious promotion of this territory to China.
Official Iranian media, from Fars to Mehr, emphasize that "Iran has made great strides in the defense sector and achieved independence in the production of the necessary military equipment and systems." Whether this is so, or Iran is using the help of its strategic military partners, it is not clear, but he is able to play on the nerves of the Gulf monarchies and Trump for sure.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.