Israel Preempts - Hezbollah Attack

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah indicated that the group targeted 11 military sites in Israel, including the head- quarters of the IDF Military Intelligence’s Unit 8200 and headquarters of the Mossad, alt- hough the locations of the strikes demonstrates that civilian locations were also targeted. [...] » After the failure of Israeli intelligence to warn about the October 7 attack, the ability to identify and quickly thwart the Hezbollah attack helped bolster Israel’s credibility as the Middle East’s most capable military and intelligence force. [...] But the delay also allowed Israel to prepare its defenses and the United States to deploy additional assets to the region. [...] » Nasrallah stated after the attack that “if we decide that this initial response isn’t enough and needs completion, that can come later, at another time,” but “at the current stage, people can take a breath and relax.” l The success of the Israeli operations, the muted response from Hezbollah, and Iran’s deci- sion to stay out of the fighting indicated the importance of the close U. [...] S.-Israel defense co- operation that took place in the weeks before the attack and the value of the strong military deployments to the region.