Israeli incursion into South Lebanon 'not a stroll in the park': NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
3 Oct 2024 20:01
4 Shares

An ex-Israeli colonel says two additional Israeli military divisions that fought in Gaza over the past year have recently joined the three divisions stationed along the border with Lebanon.

Listen

Israeli tanks maneuver in an area in northern occupied Palestine near the border with Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP)

The Israeli military has repeatedly claimed that its ground incursion into South Lebanon will be "limited, localized and targeted'' against Hezbollah, but the recent announcement of the deployment of a fifth division of soldiers to the border area with Lebanon suggests that "Israel" is preparing for a long and difficult battle against a well-armed and advanced force, The New York Times reported, citing experts.

“This is not a stroll in the park,” said retired Israeli colonel Miri Eisin, pointing out that "this is going to be hard, just like it was hard against Hamas," referring to the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper noted that the Israeli military has not disclosed the number of troops sent to take part in the offensive against Lebanon, citing security reasons.

Typically, according to Eisin, three divisions are stationed in northern occupied Palestine, and two additional divisions that fought in Gaza over the past year have recently joined them.

The retired Israeli colonel noted that the area in South Lebanon where Israeli forces are deployed is much larger than Gaza and the rugged terrain is more difficult to navigate, adding further complications.

Moreover, the NYT suggested that "Hezbollah fighters are better armed and trained than Hamas, which will make for a far more difficult fight."

It recalled that the Israeli military confirmed that eight of its soldiers had been killed in the first day and a half of battles in Lebanon, a relatively high toll compared to daily casualties during the war on Gaza.

The toll followed a tightly coordinated ambush by the Resistance, involving elite soldiers who attempted to infiltrate the town of Odeisseh from the direction of Khallet al-Mahafer. The ambush came after the Resistance had detected Israeli recon troop movement on Tuesday morning.

This marked the first attempt by Israeli forces to infiltrate South Lebanon since the Israeli military announced the commencement of a ground incursion in the area overnight Monday.

"And then there is the terrain: high hills and steep gullies that tax an infantry force far more quickly than the comparatively flat land of Gaza," the newspaper concluded.

Israeli media warn Lebanon is 'deep, sinking quagmire' for troops

Earlier, Israeli media discussed what it referred to as the "deep and sinking Lebanese quagmire," coinciding with several failed attempts by the Israeli occupation military to infiltrate South Lebanon, predicting a "long and complicated round" of confrontations with Hezbollah.

In key analyses presented by the Israeli KAN channel, Israeli Reserve Major General and former "National Security Council" head, Uzi Dayan, pointed out that "Israel" has experience in Lebanon, and it should always remember what should and should not be done there.

In response to a question about whether "Israel" would learn from past failures in Lebanon, another former "National Security Council" head, Reserve Major General Yaakov Amidror, recalled that in the 2006 war, the Israeli military failed and was not prepared, lacked good intelligence on Lebanon, and did not have proper plans for the war, while its combat technique was "at rock bottom."

Amidror suggested that "in this operation, it must be entirely clear what the [Israeli] government wants and what the army’s plans are to achieve that."

He also pointed out that "Israel's" planned goals of "pushing Hezbollah back at least to the Litani River and 10 kilometers beyond will take a long time."

On his part, Guy Tzur, former commander of the Israeli ground forces, told KAN that since 1982, Hezbollah has acted in a very similar manner, meaning its fighters do not flee but rely on positioning with long-range fire from concealed areas, adding that "it will be no different this time, and we will pay heavy prices and have casualties... war is war."

In the same context, the Israeli Channel 13 highlighted that after the 2006 July War, relative deceptive calm prevailed in South Lebanon, during which Hezbollah strengthened its combat capabilities and tunnel networks.

Channel 13 indicated that "Israel's" new round on Lebanese soil is expected to be "long, complicated, and costly."

Infiltration blocked; 4 IEDs in few hours

This comes as Hezbollah fighters continue on Thursday to repel Israeli occupation forces’ attempts to infiltrate South Lebanon.

Fighters of the Islamic Resistance targeted an advancing Israeli infantry unit attempting to infiltrate the cemetery of the town of Yaroun with an explosive device, inflicting casualties among the unit's members.

In addition, Hezbollah's fighters targeted, also with an explosive device, a force from the Golani Brigade in the Tartira area in Maroun al-Ras, which was attempting to maneuver from the western side of the town, dealing casualties among the occupation forces.

Earlier, Islamic Resistance fighters targeted an Israeli infantry unit attempting to infiltrate Lebanese territory toward Maroun al-Ras with two explosive devices.

The fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon also successfully confronted an attempt by Israeli occupation forces to advance at the Fatima Gate in South Lebanon using artillery shells.

Under the "permitted for publish" clause, Israeli media confirmed the killing of two additional soldiers from the Golani Brigade by an anti-tank missile during the battles with Hezbollah and the severe wounding of seven others.