News
Report: Hezbollah has turned villages into military bases
The New York Times this morning says IDF estimates believe that Hezbollah has moved wholesale military installations and infrastructure into south Lebanon villages, effectively making the civilian population an overwhelming human shield.
A tense quiet has existed on the Israel-Lebanon border following the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Since then, Israel has routinely complained about Hezbollah rearmament in southern Lebanon, in violation of the ceasefire, estimating that they have amassed 100,000 rockets, ten times the number Hezbollah possessed in 2006. Meanwhile, earlier this year a Hezbollah rocket attack killed two Israeli soldiers patrolling the border.
However, the New York Times report highlights Israeli concerns, based on military intelligence, that Hezbollah has effectively decamped into southern Lebanon villages, making it virtually impossible for Israel to avoid civilian casualties during a future conflict. Israeli maps and aerial photography apparently show that most of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure is now in civilian areas. In the 90-home village of Muhaybib for example, Israeli officials estimated nine arms depots, five rocket-launching sites, four infantry positions, three possible underground tunnels, three antitank positions and a command post.
The article quotes a senior Israeli military official, saying, “The civilians are living in a military compound,” warning, “We will hit Hezbollah hard, while making every effort to limit civilian casualties as much as we can,” but that “we do not intend to stand by helplessly in the face of rocket attacks.”
The same unnamed official noted, “Historically, armed forces have separated themselves from the population, in uniform,” but that “This is not the case here or in Gaza,” where he also accused Hamas of making cynical use of civilians.
Hezbollah is currently deeply involved in fighting alongside President Assad’s forces in Syria against Sunni Islamist groups such as the al-Nusra Front. Although Israel has not confirmed the reports, it is thought that Israeli air strikes have prevented several weapons transfers from Syria into Lebanon destined for Hezbollah.