IDF forces have now liberated Maroun El Ras, a Lebanese village close to the border of Israel, near the now emptied Jewish village of Avivim. Maroun El Ras used to be a Maronite Christian village, but became occupied by Shiite Muslims who ethnically cleansed the Christians there. Hezbollah has used the village as one of its forward bases where it attacked northern Israeli villages without pause.
During the 34 day ground invasion that Israel carried out in 2006, there were heavy battles between Hezbollah forces and the IDF in Maroun El Ras. In the 2006 battle Maroun El Ras, the Maglan unit that was sent on a reconnaissance mission walked it what later became known as a ‘Hezbollah Nature Preserve” which is IDF slang for a series of bunkers and weapons storage facilities placed in strategic and uninhabited areas near to the border of Israel. The 2006 Maroun El Ras battle ended in 8 IDF deaths, with 13 or more Hezbollah fighters killed.
The current battle over Maroun El Ras appears to be far from over as observers in the area have reported that the IDF has not yet liberated the entire city from Hezbollah. However, despite some casualties, the IDF’s ability to raise the Israeli flag over part of the village is a sign that the IDF is moving toward complete liberation.
Maroun El Ras not only is a Hezbollah forward base on the Israeli border, but is considered a strategic gateway to the much larger Bint Jbeil to its north. While multiple IDF divisions have been tasked with reaching the Litani in the east and sweeping across to the west north of Tyre, the IDF has also made it clear it is fighting to clear southern Lebanon of Hezbollah forces. The 2024 battle over Maroun El Ras appears to be part of that. As it sets up a crucial battle in Bint Jbeil. So far it is moving slowly, but far more calculating and careful than the 2006 version.
The liberation of Maroun El Ras can be seen as the beginning of the reversal of the folly of the 2006 war, which saw an unprofessional Chief of Staff cook up a poor strategy with no real objective that essentially led the IDF to a draw with Hezbollah. This war is different already and the Maroun El Ras battle shows the IDF is serious and willing to stay the course. From Maroun El Ras, the IDF will have to prepare for what will be the fateful 2024 redo of the city of Bint Jbeil. The IDF needs to conquer the city with few casualties in order to crush Hezbollah’s belief they are invincible in southern Lebanon.