A report by Amale Chehadeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine
After being authorized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide on the nature and timing of Israel's response to the Majdal Shams incident, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrived in the northern region.
There, he faced the families of the victims of the rocket that fell in the town's playground, killing 12 people, and held an assessment meeting with the military leadership to discuss the army's target list against Hezbollah, which Tel Aviv accused of launching the rocket.
From there, Gallant issued threats against Iran and Hezbollah, while security officials familiar with the preparations predicted that the response Israel desires would not be executed with full force for at least three days.
Until the decision on the nature and timing of the response is made, the military leadership and security agencies are discussing the details of the military plans with Gallant and Netanyahu, which have not been presented to the security cabinet to avoid potential leaks.
Some points from the target list identified by the army were revealed, including a limited attack on infrastructure to create what is called a "prominent image," which one security official explained means targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon indirectly used by Hezbollah, such as important bridges, central highways, power stations, airports, and ports.
The purpose of this attack is more media-driven than practical, as Tel Aviv wants to show images of massive fires and smoke resulting from these attacks to calm public opinion in Israel.
Another point is an attack on Hezbollah's strategic weapon depots, as the army claims they have attacked 5,000 Hezbollah targets in the south to date but there are still other strategic sites to target.
Additionally, carrying out assassinations and eliminations of senior Hezbollah officials is planned, though an Israeli report suggests such operations would be difficult to execute in the coming days due to the need to wait for operational and intelligence opportunities in cooperation with combat aircraft.
On the ground, the Israeli army continues its preparations but has not yet taken extraordinary steps such as mobilizing soldiers, ammunition, and combat equipment.
However, the army has introduced "steel sting" shells into the ground forces, capable of hitting targets with great accuracy and as effective as anti-tank missiles. Moreover, the Defense Minister has requested the Elbit Systems company to manufacture tens of thousands of "steel sting" shells worth $190 million for use against Hezbollah and Hamas.