War Assessment Thus Far: Israel Targets 10 Villages In Lebanon

The Israel Army has targeted 10 Shi’ite villages in southern Lebanon where Hizbullah was believed to have stored thousands of rockets.

Israeli Military sources said the villages were located within three kilometers of the Israeli border with Lebanon. They said that since July 19 hundreds of special operations forces have sought to penetrate the villages and destroy Hizbullah strongholds.

The villages have included Meron A-Ras and Marwaheen. Meron A-Ras, located 911 meters above sea level, was identified as a major Hizbullah rocket launch site and heavy fighting was reported around the village on Saturday.

“It is not the end of the road [in Meron A-Ras],” Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch, commander of the Galilee Division, said. “We still have plenty of work to do.”

These security sources said the villages contained eight-meter-deep bunkers with anti-tank missiles, Katyusha rockets, food and equipment. They said that Hizbullah fighters, moving through a maze of tunnels, were trained to maintain the battle regardless of orders from commanders in Beirut.

“There are more places like Meron A-Ras, and unfortunately we’ll have to reach them,” Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of Northern Command, said.

So far, about 3,000 Israeli troops, backed by artillery, main battle tanks and attack helicopters, have been deployed in southern Lebanon to capture the Shi’ite villages. Military sources said the army’s heavy equipment and aircraft were struggling to target Hizbullah fighters, who have taken cover in the hilly underbrush.

“The Israel Defense Forces is firing artillery at missile launching sites along the Israeli-Lebanese border,” a military statement said on Saturday.

The Israeli army has begun mobilizing up to 10,000 troops, most of them reserve battalions, to fight Hizbullah. The mobilization began on July 21 and the first soldiers were expected to arrive at their posts by Sunday.

Over the weekend, the air force dropped thousands of leaflets in Southern Lebanon that called on residents to flee north of the Litani River.

The Israeli military, which has also sent telephone messages to Lebanese, said Hizbullah was pressuring the residents to remain for use as human shields. The Israeli operation in southern Lebanon has not reduced Hizbullah rocket strikes. On Saturday, Hizbullah fired 150 rockets into Israel, striking such cities as Carmiel, Nahariya, Safed and Tiberias. On July 21, the military reported 120 rocket landings.

“At this time, I can say that many rocket launchers have been destroyed, terror infrastructures have been destroyed and also nearly 100 Hizbullah terrorists have been killed, from all levels and all ranks,” Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz said.