ISRAEL, LEBANON, PALESTINE

Undetected, Hezbollah Hoopoe Mission Exposes Sensitive Israeli Sites

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Al Mayadeen
A screengrab from a Hezbollah drone video pinpoints the Haifa port area in northern Israel as “a strategic area with massive military, industrial and trade establishments” (Al Mayadeen)

Hezbollah publishes a nine-minute video showing its drones flying in occupied Palestinian airspace over sensitive Israeli infrastructure.

The Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah released Tuesday footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.

Titled “This is what the Hoopoe came back with,” the nine-minute-and-a-half video captured footage and exposed sensitive Israeli sites. Hezbollah indicated that the video was only the first episode of more yet to come, highlighting that the drones bypassed Israeli air defenses and returned to Lebanese airspace undetected.

The published footage included intelligence about Israeli sites inside occupied Palestine and clearly showed that the drone arrived at the port of Haifa intact. Hezbollah’s drones brought back footage and information about sensitive sites they captured over Haifa starting with the port itself to oil refineries and military factories, not to mention the locations of military battleships and important economic hubs in the port.

Rafael military-industrial complex

In detail, the video first shows Hezbollah’s drones flying over a military-industrial complex belonging to Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, which includes numerous factories, warehouses, and testing fields in which components of air defense systems are manufactured and assembled, especially the Iron Dome and David’s Sling.

Iron Dome and David’s Sling platforms, rocket engine test tunnel and storage, air defense missile storage, missile component manufacturing facilities, control and guidance systems factories, company administrative buildings, and missile testing radars all appeared in the video.

The scenes also filmed the Yitzhak Ben-Tzvi Street, Karti Square, Savyonei Yam complex, and Abraham Gardens towers.

Haifa Port Area

In addition, the Islamic Resistance’s drones reached occupied Haifa’s port — the largest in the occupied territories — and captured footage of the Haifa port Bay area, a highly valuable economic and trade area that hosts massive military installations, industrial infrastructure, and commercial areas.

The area includes the Haifa military base, which is the main naval base for the Israeli occupation forces, which is responsible for the northern naval front, as well as Iron Dome storage and platforms, petrochemical facilities, oil silos, the Haifa power station, and Haifa airport.

The Haifa Port area includes ship maintenance hangars, the building of Unit 3800 at Haifa Naval Base, the main warehouse and supply section at the Haifa Base dockyard, the Yaltam Unit building, submarine unit buildings, submarine dock and mooring, and the Sheyetet 7 submarine unit command building.

In addition, Hezbollah’s video filmed the Karmiel and Mizrahi piers, as well as container ships and port operations.

Warships filmed comprised military vessels, including the Bat Yam logistical support ship, Sa’ar 4.5, 5, and 6 boats, and the Dvora-class fast patrol boat.

Hezbollah’s video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets

Major General Wasif Arikat described what Hezbollah revealed in the latest video as the “most valuable bank of targets.”

He told Al Mayadeen that the message behind the video has been received, adding that what is happening now is not a field war but a war of awareness that proved that the Israeli occupation army, once described as the “invincible army”, has been defeated and retreated.

On his part, Brigadier General Mohammad Abbas said that Hezbollah’s drones surpassed all air defense systems and returned without being detected by Israeli systems.

He highlighted to Al Mayadeen that the video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets, demonstrating that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon possesses highly advanced capabilities.

Brigadier General Abbas further explained that the name “Hoopoe”, which is a type of bird, reflects the long distance that Hezbollah’s drones traveled in occupied Palestinian lands before returning with such valuable scenes.

Israeli media described what Hezbollah’s drones documented as “disturbing” and “very dangerous”.

According to Hezbollah, the area is highly vital and sensitive, occupies an area of around 6.5 km2, and is 24 km away from the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

Krayot

The video also included an overview of Krayot, an Israeli suburb north of occupied Haifa, which includes six occupied cities with a population of 260,000 Israeli settlers. Hezbollah published a complete high-definition view of the urban conglomeration there, with a real-time tour detailing Krayot districts and neighborhoods, including residences of Israeli official residences and commercial complexes.

Experts decode messages in Hezbollah’s Hoopoe mission video

Expert sources tell Al Mayadeen that the timing of releasing the video is undoubtedly linked to the visit of US envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon on a mission “of Israeli nature.”

Hezbollah’s video ended with the phrase “and the birds as they soar,” which suggests that the Lebanese Resistance group’s drones are still flying in the airspace of occupied Palestine, expert sources told Al Mayadeen on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Military Media of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah released Tuesday footage showing its reconnaissance drones flying over swathes of occupied Palestinian land, including Kiryat Shmona, Nahariya, Safad, Karmiel, Afula, all the way to Haifa and its port.

Titled “This is what the Hoopoe came back with,” the nine-minute-and-a-half video captured footage and exposed sensitive Israeli sites. Hezbollah highlighted that its drones bypassed Israeli air defenses and returned to Lebanese airspace without being detected.

The sources said that the Hoopoe of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon appears flying over the most sensitive installations, not just the Haifa military base.

They highlighted that one of the most important things documented by the Hoopoe is the area of ​​the military-industrial complex affiliated with the Rafael Company, which is an extremely sensitive area.

The sources explained that companies and websites specialized in aerial and industrial imaging refrain from publishing any updated images at the request of the Israeli government due to their sensitivity.

In the same context, the experts told Al Mayadeen that Hezbollah’s video includes three types of potential targets: military (the Military-Industrial Complex and the Haifa Military Base), civilian (the Krayot area), and strategic (Haifa Port and its facilities).

They added that the three types of potential targets are meant to establish a three-dimensional balance of deterrence against “Israel”, with each dimension relating to the type of target “Israel” may strike in any confrontation with Lebanon.

“Hezbollah wanted to say that [the equation is] military for military, civilian for civilian, and strategic for strategic,” the sources pointed out.

Touching on the details of the video, the experts explained that the missile illustrated next to the target card has guiding fins at its front, symbolizing a precise missile, which is a message Hezbollah intended to convey in the video.

They noted that the red missile illustrated next to the identification card of Haifa Port indicates that Hezbollah treats this site with a high level of seriousness in terms of potential targeting.

According to the experts, this video is only the first episode in a series yet to come, with subsequent episodes showing how far the Resistance’s reconnaissance drones have reached inside occupied Palestinian airspace.

Elsewhere, the sources told Al Mayadeen that the timing of releasing the video is undoubtedly linked to the visit of US envoy Amos Hochstein to Lebanon on a mission “of Israeli nature” even if it appears as part of a mediation effort.

Earlier, Hochstein called for an immediate de-escalation of tensions on the northern border between Lebanon and “Israel”.

Hezbollah’s video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets

Major General Wasif Arikat described what Hezbollah revealed in the latest video as the “most valuable bank of targets.”

He told Al Mayadeen that the message behind the video has been received, adding that what is happening now is not a field war but a war of awareness that proved that the Israeli occupation army, once described as the “invincible army”, has been defeated and retreated.

On his part, Brigadier General Mohammad Abbas said that Hezbollah’s drones surpassed all air defense systems and returned without being detected by Israeli systems.

He highlighted to Al Mayadeen that the video unveiled dozens of “super vital” targets, demonstrating that the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon possesses highly advanced capabilities.

Brigadier General Abbas further explained that the name “Hoopoe”, which is a type of bird, reflects the long distance that Hezbollah’s drones traveled in occupied Palestinian lands before returning with such valuable scenes.

Israeli media described what Hezbollah’s drones documented as “disturbing” and “very dangerous”.

Hezbollah drone video stuns Israeli media with detailed Haifa surveillance

Israeli media closely monitored Hezbollah’s video broadcast by Al Mayadeen TV, noting that it “clearly shows Haifa Port, most likely filmed last Tuesday, from a Hezbollah drone.” It stressed, “A false alarm was issued a week ago in the Haifa Port area following an aerial infiltration in the early morning hours; apparently, it was not.”

In further detail, Israeli media have expressed astonishment at Hezbollah’s demonstrated capabilities, which have left military and security officials in “Israel” amazed.

Observers of the video can see residential areas in Haifa, underscoring the detailed nature of the drone footage and its implications for security assessments, as per Israeli media.

Furthermore, Israeli media criticized the filming of Haifa Port by a Hezbollah drone without any disturbance from the anti-air systems, noting that “Hezbollah, through its publication of images of Haifa Port, conveyed a threatening message to the port.”

As a matter of fact, experts revealed to Al Mayadeen that the missile illustrated next to the target card has guiding fins at its front, symbolizing a precise missile, which is a message Hezbollah intended to convey in the video.

They noted that the red missile illustrated next to the identification card of Haifa Port indicates that Hezbollah treats this site with a high level of seriousness in terms of potential targeting.

Other Israeli media outlets commented, saying, “Hezbollah has published aerial images of sensitive economic and military locations inside and near Haifa Port, including images of Sa’ar 4.5, 5,” adding that “the new documents are the most alarming since the beginning of the war.”

Israeli media stated, “Hezbollah has released one of the most challenging recordings in the war, not showing videos of killed or wounded, but a video revealing its intelligence capabilities.”

Regarding the timing of the video’s release, Israeli media argued that its timing was not coincidental, as it concurred with the visit of the US mediator to Lebanon and “Israel”.

Israeli media reported that “Hezbollah has grasped very well the Israeli threats to Lebanon through US mediator Hochstein, and it chose to respond with a special video indicating that if Israel takes a step against Lebanon, the bank of targets in Israel is all set and vast.”

It is worth noting that US envoy Amos Hochstein has earlier confirmed from the Lebanese capital Beirut that the situation along the Lebanese border with occupied Palestine is extremely dangerous, speaking about continuing efforts to de-escalate.