Focus: Israeli army remains on the defensive in the north, strategy to avoid full-scale war with Hezbollah | Reuters

On January 15, military units stationed near the Lebanese border in northern Israel are deeply rooted in the government’s basic strategy of avoiding an all-out war with Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militia on the Lebanese side. In this photo, Israeli soldiers are on alert near the border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, on the 11th (2024 Reuters/Alexandre Meneghini)

HANITA, Israel (Reuters) – The government’s basic strategy of avoiding an all-out war with the pro-Iranian Lebanese militia Hezbollah is deeply rooted in military units stationed near the Lebanese border in northern Israel.

These combat doctrines were first issued in 1956 and were hastily redeployed in conjunction with the mass mobilization following the Islamic group Hamas’ surprise attack in the south on October 7 last year. Dotan Raziri, commander of a brigade responsible for the north, explains that he instructs his soldiers to be tactically defensive.

“Israeli forces are usually aggressive and we will take control of the war,” Raziri said in Khanita, a chain of kibbutzim (collective farms) along the northern border that was deserted after residents fled following a Hamas raid. “(Then) I had to teach each unit how to launch a defense,” he said, holding a military training manual in his hand.

According to the training manual, soldiers and junior officers accustomed to modern high-tech equipment will have to learn old infantry skills, such as digging small trenches in which they can remain for weeks.

“With training, we have become good at what we do, so we are moving troops, establishing positions and increasing our intercept position,” Raziri said.

The Israeli army is engaged in fierce battles every day in the autonomous Palestinian region of Gaza in the south, but the battle with Hezbollah along the northern border has so far been limited to firefights between the two sides and no full-scale warfare. He developed.

The last major battle between the two sides dates back to 2006. Currently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant have repeatedly stated that they do not want war with Hezbollah, and similar messages have been issued by Hezbollah leaders.

However, it is unclear how long this disturbing confrontation will continue.

The exchange of anti-tank missiles and mortars, air strikes and gunfire has reached a point where both sides could move toward large-scale military action.

The fighting has intensified in recent weeks, killing around 140 Hezbollah fighters, at least 25 Lebanese civilians and at least nine Israeli soldiers and civilians.

More than 96,000 Israeli citizens are now in temporary shelters, and many farms along the northern border are only occasionally visited by workers.

Most roads leading to the northern border are deserted and heavily armed convoys pass through military checkpoints.

Hanita was founded during the British Mandate period and has a population of approximately 700 people. Pretty wooden houses line the northern border for hundreds of meters. However, most of the houses are empty and the roof of one of them was destroyed by a mortar shell. There are also abandoned cats in homes whose owners have been evacuated.

The sounds of machine guns and mortars can be heard intermittently nearby.

“Hezbollah shoots in the area almost every day,” a senior Israeli military officer said. Another official said Hezbollah fighters were firing Cornet anti-tank missiles and conducting drone strikes on Israeli positions.

Meanwhile, Israel also regularly attacks Hezbollah positions with air strikes and artillery fire, most recently killing a commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit.

However, the Israeli army as a whole remains firmly on the defensive in the north. The soldiers say they have been ordered to shoot only if they believe there is a direct threat.

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2024-01-15 09:43:00
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