Israeli occupation forces have failed to capture even a single village in southern Lebanon, despite deploying over 50,000 troops in a month-long ground invasion, the Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth has reported. The current offensive involves five divisions – three times the size of the force deployed during the failed 2006 war – but has yielded no significant territorial gains, according to Middle East Monitor.
The report attributes Israel’s setbacks to Hezbollah’s “effective tactical strategies,” including layered defences and precision attacks on Israeli armoured units. Colonel Jack Neriya, a former advisor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, said Hezbollah fighters are allowing Israeli troops to advance before trapping them in ambushes, which has posed challenges even for “elite” units. “This ambush tactic has created extreme challenges for Israeli forces, including elite units such as Golani and other commandos,” he said.
According to the MEM report, Hezbollah claimed it has destroyed 42 Merkava tanks, four bulldozers, two Hummers, an armoured vehicle, and a troop carrier since the invasion began. The Lebanese resistance movement also reported over 95 Israeli soldiers killed and 900 wounded. Israeli forces have struggled to map Hezbollah positions and counter elusive drones.
Last month alone, Yedioth Ahronoth reported, 64 Israeli soldiers and 24 settlers were killed amid ongoing hostilities. Additionally, Hezbollah’s attacks, involving thousands of missiles and drones, have triggered 14,000 warning sirens in Israel.
Despite heavy support from artillery and air power, Israel’s military campaign has made little headway. The Israeli outlet noted that this ongoing failure could lead to higher Israeli casualties than in any war since the late 1940s.
