Illustrative image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) released on April 6 a video showing some of its recent strikes on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Over 130 strikes hit targets in Gaza over the last day, the military said in a statement, adding that members of the Hamas Movement and other Palestinian armed factions were targeted along with infrastructure, including tunnels and command centers.
More than 1,200 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been reportedly killed since the IDF renewed its operations on Gaza on March 18, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that was brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar last January.
The IDF reoccupied key parts of Gaza, and even established a new security corridor near the key border area of Rafah in the south of the Strip, without facing any real resistance or taking losses.
Separately, the military released a video showing the downing of a drone launched at Israel from Yemen by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) on April 4. The clip shows the drone being intercepted by an attack helicopter of the Israeli Air Force (IAF), most likely an AH-64 Apache.
At the time, the Houthis claimed to have targeted a “military target” near the city of Tel Aviv in central Israel using a Yafa suicide drone.
The Yafa is a larger version of an Iranian suicide drone codenamed by the United States military and intelligence as KAS-04. The Houthis have been operating several versions of the KAS-04 dubbed Samad-1, 2, 3 and 4 for more than six years now. The range of the drone is believed to be well over the 2,000 kilometers needed to reach Israel from Yemen.
The Houthis resumed their drone and missile attacks on Israel after the renewal of IDF operations in Gaza, and despite facing daily strikes by the U.S.
The operations in Gaza and the repeated attacks from Yemen didn’t stop Israel from escalating against Lebanon and Syria at the same time.
Recent weeks saw an increase in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. last November.
Two alleged members of the group were killed in an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon on April 6. Later on the same day, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir held an assessment on the border with Lebanon.
“We are continuing the campaign to strengthen the defenses, while showing initiative and offensive action,” Zamir said in remarks published by the IDF.
Zamir met with the chief of the Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, commander of the 91st “Galilee” Regional Division, Brigadier General Yuval Gez, and other commanders.
Also on April 6, IAF warplanes were spotted over central Syria with reports suggesting that a strike targeted the outskirts of the ancient city of Palmyra where a military airport and other key sites are located. There was no mention of any casualties.
Overall, Israel continues to escalate on several fronts without facing any real consequences. The IDF could soon resume strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, renew full-on operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, or even expand its occupation in southern Syria.
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