Two military experts said that Hezbollah regained its balance on the ground after the series of Israeli strikes it received in the past two weeks and prepared itself for a long battle according to a defense plan adapted to the nature of the terrain.
Military expert Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi explained that Israel mobilized 4 armored brigades and infantry brigades, and its forces crossed the border with Lebanon “in an attempt to forcefully reconnaissance, discover tunnels, and find loopholes in the defense plan.”
He added: “The occupation seeks to create a foothold to modernize its target bank and facilitate the entry of its forces,” and he expected the occupation to intensify its fire bombardment by land and air on the areas “to flatten the land and inflict losses on Hezbollah members and develop its operations.”
He stressed that Hezbollah was “successful in exploiting the available land and capabilities to inflict losses on the Israeli army.”
He stated that Hezbollah forces south of the Litani River still have command and control despite “the destruction of the chain of command, starting with Fouad Shukr and ending with the assassination of Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.”
The Litani River extends 170 kilometers from its source in the east to its mouth in the west, and is about 30 kilometers from the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The military expert said, “Hezbollah took advantage of 18 years to build a defense plan compatible with the nature of the land, up to the Litani,” stressing that “the air force, historically, does not decide a battle, but it is a decisive contributing factor in determining its outcome.”
Al-Duwairi did not agree with the occupation’s statements regarding a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon, and asked, “Why did the Israeli army mobilize 7 military divisions, which represents 65% of the size of the main active forces (10 divisions)?”
He concluded that Hezbollah “is not looking for a major direct confrontation, but rather seizing opportunities to inflict losses,” and suggested that the occupation will likely repeat the fire belts policy in southern Lebanon, as it did in the Gaza Strip.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the Israeli army announced that 8 soldiers, including 3 officers, were killed and 7 seriously injured, including an officer, in battles in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli Broadcasting Authority said, “Hezbollah members fired gunshots and anti-tank missiles and detonated explosive devices at the soldiers.”
“Strategic defense”
Military expert Brigadier General Elias Hanna believes that Hezbollah is militarily ready near the Blue Line area and south of the Litani River, in light of its adoption of “strategic defense and tactical attack to exhaust the occupation.”
The Blue Line is 120 kilometers long, and was drawn by the United Nations in 2000 between Lebanon, Israel, and the occupied Golan to verify the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.
Hanna, a retired brigadier general from the Lebanese army, believes that the invading Israeli forces are seeking to isolate Hezbollah forces in their attempt to enter between the town of Metula and the Litani River.
Hanna stated, “Israel has set achievable goals by removing Hezbollah members beyond the Litani and the return of settlers from the north, in contrast to what it announced in Gaza by eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and its military and governmental capabilities.”
The occupation resorted to the “Dahia Doctrine of comprehensive and complete destruction,” but Hezbollah transferred this doctrine to northern Israel, while the party drew the equation of “preventing everything Israel possesses in exchange for using everything it possesses, such as anti-aircraft guns and tanks,” according to Hanna.
Hanna says, “Hezbollah has not lost yet, and Israel has not won,” while stressing that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “wants to eliminate Hezbollah as it is Iran’s primary center of gravity.”