Hizbullah Stages Mock Attacks on Israel in Exercises for Media

The Lebanese militia Hizbullah staged a series of military exercises for the media on Sunday. The event was held ahead of Resistance and Liberation Day, the Lebanese holiday commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, celebrated annually on May 25.

The exercises took place in the village of Aramta in the Jezzine District in southern Lebanon. Masked Hizbullah fighters fired from the backs of motorcycles, jumped through flaming hoops, and performed simulated drone attacks and attacks on military outposts. They also displayed their arsenal of armored vehicles, rocket launchers, mortars, and anti-aircraft weapons.

The event was meant as a show of force against Israel, with fighters blowing up Israeli flags that had been posted in the hills as well as on a wall simulating the wall between Lebanon and Israel.

Top Hizbullah official Hashim Safi Al Din said on Sunday that the exercises were meant to “confirm our complete readiness to confront any aggression” from Israel. He also referenced the group’s precision missiles, which were not on display, saying that Hizbullah was prepared to use them against Israel.

Israel has not officially acknowledged Sunday’s military exercises.