Hezbollah releases aerial footage of Israeli military bases in Haifa

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT (AA) - Hezbollah released footage Wednesday that showed military bases, facilities and vital installations in the northern Israeli city of Haifa that was captured by one of its drones.

The group's military media distributed the footage via Telegram and said it was "from aerial reconnaissance of military bases and vital facilities in the Haifa-Carmel area, returned by the group's air force drones."

“The Hoopoe – Episode 3" video features images taken by the Hodhod drone above military bases and vital facilities.

It is the fourth time Hezbollah has utilized the Hodhod drone. The first on June 18, when it said to have sent a drone that returned with "sensitive" images from northern Israel, specifically the Port of Haifa.

According to what the group stated in the footage released Wednesday, several military installations are situated within a civilian environment, including industrial, tourist and scientific facilities.

The drone also reportedly captured the Kiryat Nahum industrial area, the Haifa oil refinery, the Kiryat Ata industrial zone, Nesher construction material factories and the Mishmar base.

Footage also showed the “Mishmar HaCarmel base, an air defense base responsible for protecting Haifa and its surroundings," noted Hezbollah in the video.

It recorded Iron Dome radars and platforms, a command room, troop positioning, the Ashkelon tower and the Grand Canyon commercial complex.

The video showed the central tunnel junction in Mount Carmel, with Hezbollah stating that "these tunnels are used as fortified hospitals during wartime."

It also displayed the “Ze’ev base, a reserve air defense base that contains David's Sling batteries, and Kiryat Eliezer base, the main air defense base responsible for protecting the Haifa area and its surroundings."

The seven-minute video highlighted the "Stella Maris base, which is strategic for maritime surveillance and monitoring along the northern coast, containing multiple-layered radar systems."

There has been no immediate response from Israel regarding the video, but Israeli media had republished the footage.

Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23 that have killed more than 1,323 people and injured nearly 3,700.

The aerial campaign is an escalation of the year-long cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of Tel Aviv’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 42,000 people, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack last year.

Despite international warnings that the Middle East region was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground invasion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala