The scene in southern Lebanon has recurred daily for about ten days. Israeli bombs target Lebanese villages, kill civilians, and enemy land forces fail to penetrate territory. Hezbollah fighters remain vigilant to prevent any invasion of the border areas, galvanized by both grief and anger over the Israeli assassinations of their late Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other top military and political leaders.
Since the announcement of the ground operation, dubbed “Arrows of the North” and described as “limited” in scope by Tel Aviv in an attempt to downplay its objectives, Israel's stated goals are to “strike the military infrastructure” of Hezbollah - a task it found difficult during similar battles in southern Lebanon during the July 2006 war.
This time around, on just the second day of the Israeli operation, the occupation army announced the killing of 8 officers and soldiers from its "Egoz" commando unit during a clash with resistance fighters.
Israel's concern about the ground battle becomes clear when examining the number of divisions it flung into the battle and the quality of their training. Each of these divisions has been tasked with a battalion area of responsibility in terms of tactical penetration of Lebanese territory.
What teams does Israel rely on?
- 36th Division (Al-Barkan): The largest armored division in regular service in the Armored Corps In the Israeli army, this division has participated in all Israeli wars against Palestinians and Arabs.
- 91st Division (Galilee): Responsible for the entire Lebanese front from Ras Naqoura in the west to the occupied Shebaa Farms in the east.
- Division 146 (Cosmic Explosion): A reserve division affiliated with the Northern Command of the Israeli army. It was the first reserve division to join Operation “Northern Arrows” and participated in both the First and Second Lebanon Wars.
- 98th Division (Fire League): An infantry division consisting of paratroopers and commando brigades, specialized in encirclement via parachute drops, assault landings using attack helicopters and transport aircraft, and fighting deep into its opponent's territory.
- 99th Infantry Division (Al-Wameed): Trained to move on foot and not in armored personnel carriers and tasked to operate drones on the battlefield, these troops deal with electronic and cyber attacks - via air and land.
- Division 210 (Bashan): Established in the midst of the October 1973 War, this division was assigned the task of attacking Syria via Lebanon through a strategic encirclement operation aimed at weakening the Syrian Arab Army (SAA).
Despite this buildup, Israeli forces are still operating in the border strip, which has been subjected to thousands of raids and shells since October 8, 2023, that is, for more than a year. For example, the border village of Yaroun encountered 650 raids in a year, and 200 raids just last week.
The Israeli army adopts the method of rapid close-in raids with infantry, supported by heavy artillery and air cover, so that its forces infiltrate - about 700 meters at the maximum depth - and then return. These raids are mostly conducted for propaganda reasons, to secure footage of reassuring ground scenes to convince displaced Israeli settlers that there are military achievements that can establish safety for their return to settlements. For example, the Israeli army published a video that it claims depicts the storming of the Lebanese village of Kafr Kila. It later transpired that the footage dates back to 2006.