Israel can't go back to same situation it had on the border with Hezbollah

Israel can't go back to same situation it had on the border with Hezbollah

Yoav Zitun

There were 1,000 first aid kits, hundreds of blood units, and thousands of weapons from Iran and Russia: Hezbollah’s deadly invasion plan reached Israel’s doorstep, but now the IDF is clearing it out; 'It takes a decade to build something like this, we knew about the plan, but the scale on the ground surprised us,' says IDF commander

In recent days, the reservists of Division 146 have entered the hidden lairs of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force in southern Lebanon —the rocket launch positions that Hezbollah built over years in the dense, thick foliage along the border with Israel. From these positions, Hezbollah had a commanding view over the entire western Galilee, all the way to the outskirts of Haifa and the Krayot/Haifa Bay region.

Division 146, composed of the Carmeli Brigade, Iron Fist Brigade, 300th Brigade and 646th Brigade, is the first reserve division to operate in southern Lebanon. Over the past week, the troops uncovered dozens of tunnels in the rugged and mountainous terrain. These tunnels lead to underground combat facilities and Hezbollah positions, from which rockets had been fired at Israel in recent months. So far, in targeted raids, the soldiers have eliminated over 100 terrorists, destroyed dozens of tunnels and terror infrastructure, and neutralized more than 50 rocket launchers and over 60 Hezbollah command centers.

The Carmeli and Iron Fist brigades, accustomed to defensive missions along the Israeli side of the western Lebanon front, received the green light last week to cross into Lebanon where they discovered a whole new world – a hidden terror army lurking beneath the dense bushes, tightly-packed trees and "natural" tunnels built over the past decade by the Shiite terror organization for an invasion force.

The forces are also operating in a nearby village, moving through narrow alleys and streets. However, Hezbollah's main focus was on fortified positions in the thick terrain, where three of Radwan Force’s battalions had been stationed, ready to invade Israel. Fortunately, Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, did not give the order during the critical morning hours of October 7 last year. At that time, these reserve forces were mobilized from their homes even before receiving emergency call-up orders, bolstering the Northern Command as Israel reeled from the Hamas attack in the south.

The findings uncovered by Division 146 show how easily thousands of Hezbollah's elite fighters could have stormed Israeli military bases near Haifa, the Jezreel Valley, and Galilee’s lower regions, while the IDF was in shock and rushing to deal with Hamas' deadly attacks in the Negev.

In the past few days, the reservists of Division 146 have uncovered hidden combat positions right under the noses of Israeli outposts and UNIFIL positions. Hezbollah had been digging tunnels 10 meters deep, only tens of meters apart. These were designed to conceal Hezbollah forces, allowing them to surface at the border for an invasion.

In areas where Israel built security walls in recent years, explosives were found in these tunnels, specifically designed to demolish the 14-meter-high barrier. The IDF reported that Iron Fist Brigade forces destroyed a 120-meter-long underground facility located about half a kilometer inside Lebanon, equipped with electrical systems, ventilation and storage for weapons and ammunition. This tunnel was discovered months ago but was destroyed only recently.

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