Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon 'death trap' set by Hezbollah: Ynet

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
26 Sep 2024 12:51
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The Israeli newspaper doubts the Israeli military's immediate readiness for an invasion, despite pointing to the deployment of regular and reserve forces to the northern border.

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A screen grab from a video shows Hezbollah's fighters targeting an Israeli tank at the al-Baghdadi site, on February 9, 2024. (The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon)

The Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth discussed the potential consequences that the Israeli occupation military could face if it initiated a ground invasion of Lebanon, describing the move as a "death trap" set by the Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah.

The report comes shortly after the occupation military issued a statement announcing the call-up of two reserve brigades for "operational missions" in the northern regions on the border with Lebanon and after Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told troops to prepare for a possible ground invasion into Lebanon.

This followed an unprecedented operation on Wednesday by Hezbollah, which said it targeted Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv's suburbs with a Qader 1 ballistic missile after strikes launched Monday by "Israel" on South Lebanon and Bekaa killed at least 558 people.

The Israeli newspaper doubted the military's immediate readiness for an invasion, despite pointing to the deployment of regular and reserve forces to the northern border, including the 98th Division.

At the same time, according to Yedioth Ahronoth, the majority of the top leadership believes that "Israel" made a tragic and bitter mistake by invading Lebanon twice before, in 1982 and 2006, and it should not repeat the same mistake.

The report suggested that "Israel's" current behavior resembles its actions at the beginning of the 2006 war when it believed it could defeat Hezbollah through air power alone without a ground invasion.

The newspaper recalled that when this strategy failed and Hezbollah persisted with its launches toward Israeli cities and towns, the military was forced to invade Lebanon in a war that "failed to achieve any of its objectives."

In his speech last week, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah mocked "the foolish commander of the [Israeli] northern command's suggestion to establish a security belt" in South Lebanon to force the Lebanese group to retreat from the border.

Hezbollah's fighters, according to Sayyed Nasrallah, were "thoroughly looking" for Israeli tanks and viewed any invasion as a "golden, historical opportunity" to strike.

"If the enemy establishes a security belt, it must understand that it will be ambushed and the zone will turn into a swamp and a quagmire in which it will be mired," the Lebanese leader warned.