29 July 2024: In the wake of Hezbollah's murderous massacre of 12 Druze children on a Majdal Shams soccer field on Saturday (Shabbat), Israel's security cabinet has authorized the launch of a major retaliation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is currently inconceivable that such an Israeli counter-strike would not spark a much larger war than is occurring at the present time. Hence, the title for SITREP B3-24.
The Islamic Republic of Iran should also be on the receiving end of the Israeli response since they manufactured and delivered to their Hezbollah proxy the Falaq-1 rocket (110 lb. HE warhead) used in the attack. Shrapnel from the rocket proves beyond any doubt that it was a Falaq-1 of Iranian manufacture. The mere threat of a significant Israeli retaliation has not had any effect upon Hezbollah as four new rockets were fired this morning into the Gome Junction area of Kiryat Shmona this morning, with an additional report within the past hour of more rockets coming over the border into northern Israel.
UPDATE 1 August 2024: Can't help but to make note that Tisha B'Av occurs eleven days from today. In light of Iranian threats for direct strikes on Israel, one might suppose some type of preemption might take place. Powerful US Navy task forces are on station off Lebanon and in the so-called Persian Gulf. Iran and its proxies had better think twice before launching an attack because these forces are more than likely to robustly defend Israel and then take the fight to all of them. The Iran-linked PMU forces of Babil Province in Iraq (south of Baghdad) got a taste of the power arranged against them this past Tuesday. And this was no preemptive strike but a direct, on-target punitive strike, which Hezbollah, the Houthis, the Iran-aligned Shi'a of Iraq and the Twelvers in Tehran never saw coming.
To be continued...