Israeli Military Units Near Lebanese Border Heavily Entrenched in Defensive Strategy

On January 15th, military units stationed near the Lebanese border in northern Israel are deeply entrenched in the government’s basic strategy of avoiding an all-out war against Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militia on the Lebanese side. In this photo, Israeli soldiers stand guard 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 Lebanon’s pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah is deeply entrenched in the military units stationed near the Lebanese border in northern Israel.

These combat doctrines were first published in 1956 and were hastily redistributed in conjunction with mass mobilization following a surprise attack by the Islamist group Hamas in the south on October 7 last year. Dotan Raziri, brigade commander in charge of the north, explains that he is instructing his troops to be tactically defensive.

“The 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 were deserted after residents fled after the Hamas raid . “(So) 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, junior soldiers and officers familiar with modern high-tech equipment will need to learn old infantry skills, such as how to dig small trenches in which they can stay for weeks.

“With training, we’ve gotten good at what we do, so we’re moving troops, setting up positions, and increasing our interception posture,” Raziri said.

The Israeli army has been engaged in fierce battles every day in the Palestinian autonomous region of Gaza in the south, but the fight against Hezbollah across the northern border has so far been limited to exchanges of fire between the two sides, and no war full scale. has developed.

The last major battle between the two sides was in 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 u announced by Hezbollah leaders.

However, it is not clear how long this tumultuous conflict will continue.

Exchanges of anti-tank missiles and mortars, airstrikes and gunfire have reached a point where both sides could move towards larger-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 workers only occasionally visit many farms along the northern border.

Most of the 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 around 700 people. There are cute wooden houses along the northern border for hundreds of meters. However, most of the houses are empty, and one of the houses has had its roof destroyed by a mortar shell. Cats have also been left behind in homes whose owners have left.

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

“Hezbollah sends fire into the area almost every day,” said a senior Israeli military official. Another official said Hezbollah fighters were firing Cornet anti-tank missiles and carrying out drone attacks on Israeli positions.

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

Still, the entire Israeli army remains firmly on the defensive in the north. Soldiers say they have received orders to fire only if they believe there is an immediate threat.

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