The recent Israeli raids on the “Sajd” area in southern Lebanon sparked conflicting accounts about the nature of the targeted site. While the Israeli army announced the bombing of a Hezbollah weapons depot, a press report spoke about an advanced electronic laboratory, at a time when the army refrained from providing precise details about the contents of the site or the nature of its work.
In the details of the strike carried out last Saturday north of what Israel defines as the “yellow line,” a report by journalist Avi Ashkenazi in the Maariv newspaper reported that the Israeli army had detected weapons that posed a threat to its forces, indicating that the warehouse contained means that were used to target soldiers in the security zone and obstruct their activity.
The report explained that the Israeli army has been monitoring Hezbollah’s activities in that region since the destruction of the Ali al-Taher Heights, monitoring the party’s attempts to reorganize its ranks. The report pointed out ambiguity surrounding the nature of these movements, whether they come in the context of establishing a new defensive line or preparing for guerrilla-style offensive operations against Israeli forces stationed near the line.
In the same context, the Israeli military authorities refrained from specifying the contents of the warehouse or the nature of the work of the electronic laboratory, while estimates contained in the report suggested that the site might be used to assemble drones and anti-armor missiles, in the absence of any conclusive official confirmation.
For his part, the Israeli army spokesman confirmed after the raid that operations would continue to remove what he described as direct threats, stressing that any use of force from Lebanese territory would be met with a strict response, while at the same time emphasizing the army’s commitment to the agreement concluded between Israel and Lebanon.
