Mighty Israeli Army Abandoned Military Facility After Hezbollah ATGM Strike

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) abandoned their military facility at Avivim in Upper Galilee, which had been targeted by Hezbollah anti-tank guided missile strike. According to a released video, IDF troops left behind at least 2 pieces of military equipment and multiple personal possessions, including ammunition.

The escalation at the Lebanese-Israeli contact line happened on September 1 after IDF shelled unidentified targets at Shebaa Farms. After the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a de-facto victory saying that Israel “acted with a combination of decisiveness and sagacity” and its forces achieved all of their “goals”. However, at the first look, the abandoned facility does not seem to be a sign of the victory. Probably, this was a tactical retreat.

On September 3, FoxNews and ImageSat Intl. came with a new report on Iranian presence in Syria. According to the report citing “multiple Western intelligence sources” and showing satellite imagery, Iran has established a new military base near al-Bukamal and “has plans to house thousands of troops at the location”. The report came with a common speculation that the supposed base could be use to house Iranian precision-guided missiles.

The situation at the Syrian-Iraqi border has been for a long time a part of the fearmongering campaign by mainstream media that started after the US-led coalition appeared to be unable to separate Syria and Iraq by capturing the border area employing its proxies. The main point of this campaign is that Iran will use the established ground link to supply its allies in Syria and Lebanon with weapons and equipment.

In Syria, forces of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (that are the core of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces) shelled positions of Turkish-backed armed groups near Azaz and Mari. Pro-Turkish forces responded with a series of limited artillery strikes.

The situation at the contact line between the Syrian Army and militants in southern Idlib remains calm.