The Israel Defense Forces’ ground maneuver
in southern Lebanon, launched last week, is focused on dismantling
Hezbollah’s infrastructure within a few kilometers from the Israeli
border. Put differently, the goal is removing the Iranian-backed terror
army’s ability to conduct an Oct. 7-style mass murder attack in northern
Israel.
The operation is specifically targeting
Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, which has been responsible for ongoing threats
to Israeli civilian communities in northern Israel. The Radwan Force’s
Galilee invasion plan served as the blueprint for the Hamas Nukhba death
squads which led the Oct. 7 attack on the western Negev.
The IDF confirmed on Tuesday that IDF
special forces had been acting against Hezbollah compounds in southern
Lebanon “since the beginning of the war” in dozens of targeted border
operations.
The covert operations targeted the staging
areas of three Radwan battalions, including underground and weapons
storage facilities. They uncovered tunnels that were 20 to 25 meters
deep, some of which entered a mountain and reached nearby villages such
as Ayta Al-Shab, Lafr Kila and Miss Al-Jabael.
According to a report by Army Radio,
the IDF has, during those earlier raids, destroyed some 30 tons of
explosives and anti-tank warheads, a staggering 450 RPGs, hundreds of
personal firearms, hundreds of thousands of bullets, dozens of Kornet
and other anti-tank missiles, many made in Iran, and 120 different types
of missiles.
Over 1,000 intelligence documents were recovered, in addition to aerial photographs, maps and night-vision equipment.
IDF officials confirmed in recent days
that the current operation, carried out under the auspices of its
Northern Command, involves localized raids. Participating units include
the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armored Brigade and the 6th Infantry
Brigade, among other forces. On Wednesday, the 36th Division, including
soldiers of the Golani Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 6th Infantry
Brigade and additional forces joined the operation, signifying an
expansion of the maneuver.
Since the conflict began, Hezbollah has
fired over 10,000 rockets and missiles into Israel, in an effort to
force Israel into a two-front conflict and ease the pressure on Hamas in
Gaza, an Iranian ally.
The IDF’s current operations, which come
after a series of massive airstrikes took much of Hezbollah’s arsenal
offline, are aimed at neutralizing Hezbollah’s cross-border threat, and
the massive quantities of advanced weaponry and underground
facilities so far uncovered are testament to the terror group’s
genocidal intent. These capabilities were amassed in blatant violation
of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, under the nose of the hapless
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
One of the key objectives of this
operation is to ensure that the Radwan Force, a specialized formation
trained for cross-border incursions into Israel, cannot carry out a mass
murder attack—a key condition for the safe return home of the 60,000
Israelis displaced from northern Israel.
An Israeli security official stated on
Tuesday that the latest operations were conducted in order to dismantle
the military capabilities of the Radwan Force and prevent it from
carrying out its plan to invade northern Israel.
He also detailed the projectile threat
posed by Hezbollah, which has stored weapons, such as surface-to-surface
missiles, cruise missiles and missiles with 1,000 kilogram (2,200
pound) warheads throughout Lebanon.
IDF troops have already encountered and
destroyed extensive underground networks in the targeted areas,
including tunnels, weapons caches and command centers. The IDF confirmed
that “soldiers identified and breached underground access points near
the border area, exposed extensive weapon caches, assembly areas for
terrorist operative operations, and more.”
The displacement of tens of thousands of
Israelis from their homes “is a reality we cannot accept, and we will
not accept, and no other country in the world would accept it,” the
military official emphasized. “For many years, Hezbollah has built up a
military stronghold in southern Lebanon […] just meters away from
civilian communities in northern Israel,” he added.
“We are essentially focusing on three
elements. One is removing immediate threats […] The second thing is, we
are targeting those senior terrorists planning terror attacks against
Israelis […] The third thing we’re doing is making sure that we create a
reality where residents can return to northern Israel.”
In an effort to minimize collateral
damage, the IDF has issued warnings to Lebanese civilians in areas where
Hezbollah is operating, urging them to evacuate.
Such warnings have been issued with regard
to “areas where Hezbollah is operating, is firing at Israel or storing
munitions,” he added.
While the IDF has emphasized that these are targeted operations, the situation remains fluid and could change.
Senior defense officials have reiterated
that the aim is to neutralize the immediate threat posed by Hezbollah’s
military presence near the border, but that if the fire on Israel
continues the IDF may need to expand its operations.
For now, however, the IDF is limiting the
scope of the operation. “This is a limited, localized target raid on
areas near the border to remove threats and to deal with Hezbollah
strongholds,” Maj. David Baruch, an IDF spokesperson, stated on Tuesday.
The IDF’s actions are being closely
coordinated with Israel’s political leadership, and future operations
will depend on ongoing assessments of Hezbollah’s activities.
The IDF Northern Command continues to maintain a high state of readiness as the situation develops.
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