Israel launches new ground offensive against Hezbollah. The memories of the devastating Lebanon war in 2006 are still fresh.
Beirut – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) could rely on well-known tactics and challenges in their ground offensive Hezbollah bump. The current conflict has many similarities with the Second Lebanon War of 2006, in which Hezbollah inflicted significant losses on the Israeli army. However, the IDF hopes that after intensive preparation it will be better equipped to counter the terrorist militia’s strategies.
The IDF aims to destroy the remaining infrastructure of the Radwan Unit, a Hezbollah special offensive unit, following the killing of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. At the same time, real-time attacks should be avoided, which hit the IDF soldiers and northern Israel particularly hard in 2006.
Israel launches ground offensive against Hezbollah: Lebanon war is still deep in its bones
During the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah fired around a hundred rockets a day into northern Israel, triggering a massive wave of refugees in both countries. An Israeli government report on the 2006 Lebanon War identified a lack of army efficiency and deficiencies in decision-making processes as key problems. The high losses on both sides were also due to the army’s inadequate preparation for the tactics of a terrorist militia. In retrospect, the war was described as a “lost opportunity.”
Israel is now making a new attempt in Lebanon. “The IDF had been preparing for this attack for 18 years, after the humiliation of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, when the IDF was unprepared for the type of war that was being waged,” said Aluf Benn, editor-in-chief of Haaretzin a recent podcast. “For many years, the focus of Israeli intelligence, exercises and operational planning has been on Hezbollah.”
The 2006 Lebanon War, also known as the 33-Day War, was marked by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that lasted from July to August 2006. The conflict began with air strikes in Lebanon and a naval blockade imposed by Israel, followed by a ground offensive in southern Lebanon. The current ground attack was also initiated by air strikes.
Israel’s IDF leaves safe space – ground offensive in Lebanon poses risks
The ground offensive is a risky undertaking because Israel is moving its IDF from the defensive into a vulnerable position in which the soldiers are more vulnerable to direct attack. The army has therefore taken some precautions. According to the Jerusalem Post Three divisions are already stationed at the border and there have been repeated operations near the border in recent months.
Hezbollah will certainly not surrender without a fight, even though one of its key leaders has been killed. “The resistance forces are ready for a ground offensive,” Sheikh Naim Qassem said after Nasrallah’s death. He pointed to the 2006 Lebanon War as evidence of Hezbollah’s ability to resist the IDF.
The further the soldiers advance into Lebanon, the more unprotected they become. Rapid support and potential retreat options would be better available near the Israeli border. According to the IDF on the online platform X, there will initially only be “local and targeted ground attacks” in Lebanese homes near the border.
From buffer zone to settler colonialism: aim of the ground offensive in Lebanon unclear
However, the IDF did not provide any information on the duration of the offensive, so the exact planned dimensions are unclear. “The IDF continues to operate to achieve the goals of the war and do whatever is necessary to defend the citizens of Israel and return the citizens of northern Israel to their homes.”
What comes after this phase is unclear. “For the right-wing extremists, southern Lebanon is like Gaza, villages should be occupied, destroyed and replaced with Israeli settlers,” said Benn. The question of support also remains open, as US President Biden made a loud plea before the ground offensive began The Guardian for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which Israel rejected.
Former CIA analyst Michael P. DiMino told the ZDF indicated that “a temporary buffer zone” could also be the goal of the ground offensive. Then Hezbollah’s short-range missiles would no longer be able to reach Israeli territory as reliably. Hezbollah could even be weakened, DiMino said. “But even if Hezbollah disappears, another Shiite militia will take its place.”
Civilians in Israel and Lebanon suffer from conflict with Hezbollah
The civilian population that could be caught in the crossfire of an invasion poses a further challenge. Large parts of the civilian population have already fled or been evacuated, but the emergency infrastructure is already overwhelmed. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the last two weeks and hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded.
The situation of the population in the Gaza Strip could be a harbinger of what the civilian population in Lebanon could also expect. During the 2006 Lebanon War, the international community also put pressure on Israel due to the high number of civilian casualties, which ultimately led to a ceasefire.
The civilian population is also suffering on the Israeli side of the border. According to the Economic Times Thousands of Israelis in northern communities have already been displaced. Hezbollah, which had already announced counterattacks, will probably continue to attack on Israeli territory, so that the population there will also suffer from the conflict. (lismah)
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