IDF Reinforces Southern Lebanon Forces Ahead of Holidays Amid Hezbollah Threats
The IDF is reinforcing southern Lebanon ahead of the holidays amid assessments that Hezbollah is covertly rebuilding forces and preparing explosive drone and guerrilla attacks.
The IDF is reinforcing its forces in southern Lebanon ahead of the holiday season as Hezbollah continues covert efforts to rebuild its capabilities. According to the military, Hezbollah is attempting rehabilitation slowly and in some deep areas beyond the yellow line. "Our working assumption is that from Hezbollah's perspective, the fighting against Israel is not over. It has not ended, and they intend to continue operating. They possess general capabilities and have not been defeated. Primarily now, they are trying to rehabilitate their capabilities and will attempt to carry out guerrilla-style actions. Where will this encounter us? We do not know," the IDF stated.
The IDF assesses that Hezbollah will operate through explosive device attacks and the deployment of explosive drones. "We cannot rule out the possibility that they will try to raid an outpost," military officials said. Division 91 views the holiday period as a period of operational challenges. "We treat the holidays as a complex operational period and we are concentrating our forces. Therefore, we are grouping defense and strengthening force structures. We are reducing leaves, and there are no routine shutdowns or regular breaks. This is not due to specific intelligence, but rather out of the understanding that the other side has a desire to challenge us."
Division 91 is also preparing for seasonal changes in southern Lebanon, specifically the onset of the fog season. "We are in a seasonal transition, which leads to the fog season—something we do not like when we are on the defensive. We love fog when we are on the offensive, for certainty in deployment, observations, and patrols in problematic areas," the IDF noted. Following recent explosive drone attacks by Hezbollah, the IDF Arabic-language spokesperson, Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice yesterday to residents of the village of Deir Zahrani: "Following a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement by the terrorist organization Hezbollah in light of the launch of an explosive drone toward IDF forces, the IDF is forced to act with force. The IDF has no intention of harming you."
