Hezbollah terrorists are retreating from southern Lebanon, showing minimal resistance to the IDF ground offensive, according to the Institute of the Study of War (ISW), a prominent conflict analysis organization located in Washington, DC. ISW reports that fighters have “departed the region” without engaging in “significant defensive actions.”
Makor Rishon reported last Friday that as a result of the ground operation in Lebanon, farmers are returning to the orchards in the Galilee, and roads have been opened.
The Lebanese newspaper A-Nahar, considered by many to be the newspaper of record for the entire Arab world, reported last Thursday that many of Hezbollah’s mid-level commanders have left for Tehran or Baghdad in recent days.
According to the report, Hezbollah made changes in the security of the remaining Hezbollah leaders, out of fear of a widespread intelligence breach in the group’s ranks. Also, intelligence sources told A-Nahar that Hezbollah recently obtained Russian-made UAVs and Russian experts are now training Hezbollah terrorists to use these UAVs.
The Telegraph cited Israeli sources who said extensive pre-invasion operations in Lebanon had contributed to the displacement of many terrorists to the north, while ongoing airstrikes and targeted assaults were also compelling others to escape.
Still, the ISW expressed surprise at the initial findings of the invasion, which indicated a reluctance among Hezbollah to confront Israeli forces. “Hezbollah fighters do not seem to be defending against Israeli troops in these southern villages, as Israeli forces have consistently discovered weapons caches and infrastructure previously utilized by Hezbollah fighters who have vacated the area,” the ISW reported.
The ISW believes the Israeli air campaign in Lebanon “severely disrupted the strategic and operational-level military leadership in Hezbollah and impeded Hezbollah’s ability to conduct and sustain coherent military campaigns, at least in the short term.”
The Lebanese tabloid Al-Akhbar reported on Monday that Hezbollah is afraid of CIA agents who are supposedly operating in Lebanon as part of the White House’s mission to disarm the terrorists and install an effective, Maronite Christian president.
Hezbollah appears to be in such urgent need for good news, on Sunday the terrorist group spread a rumor that IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was killed in the drone attack on the Golani mess hall in Binyamina.
Needless to say, the rumors of Halevi’s demise were premature.
Sunday night’s attack is being investigated by the IDF (IDF Spokesman: We Must Offer Better Defenses Against the Drones Threat), as part of an effort to find a defensive solution. So far, three separate kamikaze drones have entered Israeli airspace undetected and caused serious damage. Sunday night marked the worst such attack.
Retired Air Defense Commander and former IDF spokesman Brigadier General Ran Kochav, warned that Israel must not be complacent and underestimate Hezbollah even as its troops appear to be in disarray and are fleeing for their lives.
Kochav told Globes Sunday night that when it comes to kamikaze drone attacks, it is virtually impossible to eliminate 100% of them, especially when they fly in a swarm and are accompanied by a rocket attack that diverts the attention of the Iron Dome and other defense systems.
Here’s a possible solution: knock out one of Beirut’s power stations, or all of them, and see if it affects Hezbollah’s ability to keep up the fighting. Knock out Beirut’s international airport, and its sea port, and do the same elsewhere in Lebanon where Hezbollah fighters are known to congregate. All it takes is a series of very unfortunate pilot errors.
I’ll tell you this much, had Ukraine possessed the same military power as the IDF, it would have responded to those Russian drones by taking out Moscow’s famous underground trains and turning Red Square into Ruined Square.
by David Israel JP
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