The IDF continued to face fierce fighting from Hezbollah as it pushed northward into Lebanon during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Eight soldiers from the special forces Egoz unit were killed just before the holiday, but the IDF succeeded in eliminating 440 Hezbollah terror fighters in Southern Lebanon as it forced others to retreat northward. The stated goal of the IDF is to clear out Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon’s southern villages, but what is becoming clear is that the IDF wants to reach the Litani River and sweep westward in order to establish security control over Lebanon’s south. This will allow the beginning of the return of the 60,000 plus displaced Israelis to their homes.
The key to the campaign is for the IDF to establish permanent security control over southern Lebanon. There is broad support in the cabinet, the military, and Israel for what many are calling a buffer zone. The only debate is how big - the Litani River is fast becoming consensus.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the following:
“We are pushing Hezbollah north. Some of the terrorists fled, and some are being defeated by our troops in close-quarters battles,” Hagari says in a press conference. Since the beginning of the ground maneuver, the troops have killed on the ground and from the air, some 440 terrorists, including 30 commanders.”
Hagari in his press conference also shows a video of a 250-meter-long Hezbollah tunnel that he says was located some 300 meters from the border, and did not cross into Israeli territory. “These compounds were to be used by Hezbollah terrorists in an attack on the Galilee communities… yesterday we destroyed this tunnel,.”
The tunnel network is extensive in Southern Lebanon and although some of it can be smashed from the air, much of it has to be dismantled by troops in order to ensure Hezbollah’s ability to attack Israel is neutralized.
Nasrallah Replacement Hashem Safieddine Already Eliminated
Israel announced that the attack the IAF carried out in the Dahiah neighborhood of Beirut successfully eliminated Hashem Safieddine, the new leader of Hezbollah. This continues the series of blows Hezbollah’s leadership has felt since the successful pager operation.
While Hezbollah might have a replacement already picked, many potential candidates must be asking themselves, “Is this job worth it?”