Hezbollah executes ambush in al-Qawzah; 5 IOF soldiers killed in north

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media + Al Mayadeen
16 Oct 2024 23:55
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Hezbollah fighters engage in intense confrontations with Israeli occupation forces in al-Qawzah, southern Lebanon, inflicting deaths and injuries on the Israeli occupation soldiers.

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A screengrab of a video showing fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon readying for confrontations in a short clip released October 14, 2024 (Hezbollah Military Media)

Fighters from the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon engaged in intense confrontations with Israeli occupation forces near the town of al-Qawzah at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Military Media.

Hezbollah fought at close range, using various types of machine guns, resulting in several deaths and injuries among the occupation forces.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in South Lebanon confirmed that Hezbollah had ambushed an Israeli force in al-Qawzah, causing casualties among its soldiers.

At 5:40 pm, Hezbollah also announced that they targeted a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers between the towns of Odeisseh and Markaba with a rocket salvo.

Simultaneously, the correspondent reported that confrontations continued near the Ayta al-Shaab-Ramyah-al-Qawzah triangle, with Israeli helicopters conducting extensive flights over the area.

Reportedly, Israeli helicopters made repeated attempts to evacuate the dead and wounded officers and soldiers from the battle zones in Ayta al-Shaab, Ramyah, and al-Qawzah, according to the correspondent.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that a large number of military helicopters landed at several hospitals.

Israeli media reports indicated that eight helicopters landed at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, while others arrived at Beilinson and Tel Hashomer hospitals.

A total of 44 soldiers were evacuated to Rambam, and five others to Beilinson, following the ambush and confrontations in South Lebanon, according to Channel 13.

The Israeli occupation's military imposed censorship preventing the publication of further details about the "tough security incident" in South Lebanon.

As the confrontations in al-Qawzah continued, and Hezbollah continued to repel the occupation forces's repeated incursions, inflicting more casualties, the Israeli forces have not yet reached the strategic heights deemed critical by the Israeli army in the battle, according to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in South Lebanon.

Later in the night, the Israeli occupation admitted that five Israeli occupation soldiers and officers were killed during confrontations along the northern front without specifying the area where they were killed.

War could lead to 'Israel's' resounding failure: Ex-intelligence chief

Without contemplating the endgame of the ongoing battle, "Israel" is facing an endless war that will lead to a resounding strategic failure, potentially destroying its relative superiority, warned Tamir Hayman, former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate AMAN.

Hayman pointed out that "although Hezbollah has been dealt a significant blow and Hamas has suffered considerable damage, the worst-case scenario remains possible."

"The battlefield achievements could dissipate if Israel does not make the right decision," the former Israeli military official added.

His remarks align with those of Shon Revin, a former senior official in the Shin Bet and a lieutenant colonel in the reserve forces, who underscored that "Hezbollah's ability to recover is very rapid, even if Israel has targeted many of its capabilities."

"For days now, we’ve seen various generals claiming that we've almost eliminated Hezbollah, that we've destroyed 70% of its capabilities, but that’s clearly not the case... we must take that into account," the former official told Israeli Channel 14.

Revin described the Lebanese Resistance group as "a powerful organization with a structured command, well-organized, equipped, armed, and trained."

The former Shin Bet official also expressed doubt that the strikes carried out against Hezbollah would subdue the group, saying, "Even if we hit the command and control chain hard, they still have significant capabilities."