On Tuesday, Hezbollah released a new propaganda video featuring drone footage of Israeli military bases and strategic locations in the Golan Heights. This comes amid reports alleging that a former bodyguard of the terror group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanon-Syria border.
The 10-minute video, published by the Iran-backed organization, is similar to a compilation of footage released last month. It opens with an aerial view of northern Israel, highlighting areas such as Nahariya, Safed, and Haifa, as well as Mount Dov near the Lebanon border. The video showcases various military outposts in northern Israel, which Hezbollah claims are used for purposes ranging from artillery and air defense batteries to command headquarters. One base purportedly used by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence’s Unit 8200 is also featured.
The Israeli military believes the footage was captured approximately four or five months ago, as evidenced by visible patches of snow. Hezbollah claimed that the footage was obtained by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that entered Israeli airspace, captured the imagery, and returned to Lebanon undetected. The IDF has not commented on these claims.
In addition to military installations, the video includes images of buses allegedly used to transport IDF soldiers to their bases. It concludes with a preview of the “next episode” in the propaganda series, featuring close-up shots of the northern Israeli cities of Safed and Tiberias.
Following the release of the video, Hezbollah’s media relations officer, Muhammad Afif, stated that it sends “a clear message to the enemy and its army.” He emphasized the importance of demonstrating Hezbollah’s technical and technological capabilities in surveillance and intelligence gathering, which are critical in times of war.
In a previous drone video released last month, Hezbollah focused on both military and civilian locations, including the Haifa port and a residential neighborhood in nearby Kiryat Yam. Hezbollah has launched hundreds of drones at Israel amid ongoing conflicts, utilizing some for surveillance and others as explosive devices.
The skirmishes along the Israel-Lebanon border began on October 8, when Hezbollah-led forces started attacking Israeli communities and military posts, claiming it was a show of support for Gaza amid the war there. These near-daily clashes have resulted in the deaths of 10 Israeli civilians and 16 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, although no injuries have been reported.
Hezbollah has reported the deaths of 364 of its members due to Israeli actions during these skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some in Syria as well. Additionally, 65 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed in Lebanon.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hezbollah announced the death of Yasser Qarnabash, allegedly in an Israeli strike on the Beirut-Damascus highway in Syria. Lebanese media described Qarnabash as a former bodyguard of Hassan Nasrallah, responsible for transporting personnel and weapons to Syria. According to Al Arabiya, the strike occurred near the Syrian town of as-Saboura, resulting in the deaths of two Hezbollah members and critically wounding a Syrian driver. Supporters mourned Qarnabash’s death on social media, referring to him as the “shield of the Sayyed,” in reference to his role as Nasrallah’s bodyguard.
In a separate incident early Tuesday, the Syrian state news agency claimed that Israel launched an aerial attack on a site near Baniyas, causing material losses. Local media suggested that the target was linked to Iran. The Syrian defense ministry later reported no casualties from the strike near the Mediterranean coastal city.
In southern Lebanon, the IDF stated that fighter jets had struck a building in Rab al-Thalathine, where two operatives were spotted after launching rockets at Israel earlier in the day. The IDF reported that several rockets were launched from the area at Misgav Am in northern Israel, with most intercepted by air defenses. Shortly after the rocket attack, two Hezbollah operatives were seen entering a building in the town, which was subsequently struck by an IDF fighter jet.
