Israeli media says Hezbollah military drills 'show of force'

• 

Lebanese resistance faction Hezbollah on Sunday conducted landmark military drills that saw numerous videos being circulated on social media showcasing the Resistance's capabilities and diverse formations, while Israeli media focused on Hezbollah's use of Kamikaze UAVs, as well as the drills' implications.

According to Israeli Channel 12, an important aspect of the drills is looking into the mechanism and capabilities of Hezbollah's missile division and special anti-armor formation.

"With the participation of dozens of vehicles and hundreds of members, Hezbollah today carried out a huge maneuver in southern Lebanon, which was centered on stopping an Israeli invasion and infiltrating Israel," the Israeli media outlet stated.

Moreover, it stressed that Hezbollah called on journalists from all over the world to attend the drills, with there being a clear message intended for the Israeli occupation.

"The maneuver is important, but what is also important is the timing and the manner in which it was conducted, as Hezbollah carried it out very publicly and boldly, with wide coverage," Israeli Channel 12 military affairs correspondent Nir Dvori said.

"The capabilities of Hezbollah's anti-armor division, which is supposed to prevent a ground invasion by the Israeli army, as well as the formations of multiple launch rocket systems mounted on moving vehicles, which can fire a lot of rockets in an attempt to challenge the Iron Dome," are also of utmost importance, the Israeli journalist proclaimed.

الإعلام الحربي: ترقبوا مشاهد خاصة للمناورة العسكرية الرمزية التي نظمتها المقاومة الإسلامية في أحد معسكراتها بمناسبة #عيد_المقاومة_والتحرير. #مناورة_المقاومة_الإسلامية pic.twitter.com/HHy4bxujkt

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) May 21, 2023

"The Israeli army is establishing a long series of responses to this matter, and therefore, although it is a publicity stunt for Hezbollah, the Israeli army is looking into it, and I do not think it is correct to underestimate it," Dvori added.

"Hezbollah carried out a limited offensive drill in southern Lebanon that ended with the infiltration of an Israeli town and the taking of prisoners. It was also reported that the maneuver included the use of drones, simulating an attack on Israeli towns," the Israeli Israeli Hayom newspaper reported, citing Al Mayadeen.

Middle East understands 'Israel' is weak

Israeli Channel 7 news commented on the military drills, too, with Israeli researcher, Mordechai Kedar, saying, "Hezbollah's show of force comes against the backdrop of the Israeli arrogance following operation Shield and Arrow on Gaza. This is a show of force against the Israelis and the Americans."

"Hezbollah's drills come in light of Tehran's growing might and Syria's return to the Arab League, as well as the return of the bipolar world, which we can witness taking place before our very eyes," Kedar added. The latest round of aggression on Gaza passed "without any direct intervention from Hamas or Hezbollah, therefore Hezbollah decided to show everyone that it had massive capabilities."

Moreover, Kedar underlined that Syria's return to the Arab League indicates that Saudi Arabia rebuffed its ties to Syria and Iran, as the UAE is warming up to Damascus. "In truth, the Middle East has come to understand that Israel is somewhat weak," he affirmed. 

Read more: Riyadh prodding for talks with Hezbollah - reports

He attributed this to "all the pilots' petitions and the refusal to serve among Israelis, which showed that we are a kind of doormat during the protests against the judicial amendments."

"The Arab countries have realized that it might be better to join countries like Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea so that they have a coalition that does not lower its head in the face of the United States and the West," the Israeli scholar said.

He further accused the West of being "completely immersed in its fanaticism regarding the response to the Russians in Ukraine and against the Chinese in Taiwan, and finally, against Iran's positioning as a regional power threatening Israel."

"The world today consists of two blocs, and each bloc has its own agenda and alliances. There is no longer consideration for the United States, and there are other major players," he underscored.

These Israeli statements come after a symbolic military maneuver was carried out with the participation of hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, which included a simulation of an infantry and drone attack on targets inside occupied Palestine, against the Israeli occupation.

دعت العلاقات الإعلامية في #حزب_الله الإعلاميين إلى جولة على أحد معسكرات #المقاومة في #جنوب_لبنان لمناسبة عيد #المقاومة_والتحرير، وحضور مناورة عسكرية تظهر استعدادات المقاومة للدفاع عن #لبنان.#الميادين_لبنان pic.twitter.com/YXJ8n7W5Zv

— الميادين لبنان (@mayadeenlebanon) May 21, 2023

During the drills, which witnessed extensive media coverage from Lebanese, Arab, and international media, snipers fired at enemy targets, while gunmen on motorcycles fired live bullets at fixed targets. Different military formations participated in the drills.

The drills also saw Hezbollah exhibiting various types of light and heavy machine guns, including rocket launchers, vehicles equipped with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft weapons, and anti-tank and MANPADS, as well as electronic anti-drone weapons.

A high-standing cement wall, similar to the one erected by the Israeli occupation at the Palestinian-Lebanese borders was built. At the conclusion of the drills, the wall was detonated at numerous points, and the resistance fighters marched on from the holes created by the explosions.

Chairman of Hezbollah's Executive Council, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, warned Sunday the Israeli regime that they would experience the effects of the Resistance's arsenal of precision missiles in action if they ever decide to commit any "foolish acts."

The Islamic Resistance official announced that the intended message of the drills was to convey the Resistance's readiness to confront any aggression and maintain the deterrence equation with the Israeli enemy. 

Safieddine invited the Lebanese people to remain reassured and confident in the Resistance's ability to protect them. Furthermore, Safieddine reaffirmed Hezbollah's determination to liberate all Lebanese territories from Israeli occupation. 

He carried on saying that the axis of resistance will persist and will prosper "from Gaza to the West Bank to the 48 Palestinian territories and Lebanon, all the way to the Islamic Republic of Iran."