Click to see full-size image. (The Israeli Defense Forces)
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on January 27 that it was increasing its preparedness on the front with Lebanon, publishing footage from recent “intensive” training exercises carried out by the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade.
“As part of the process of increasing readiness on the northern border, the Northern Command held intensive training sessions last week to strengthen competence and readiness for the moment of decision,” the IDF said in a statement.
The 226th Brigade, under the 146th Division, with combat engineers, tanks, artillery and other infantry forces, carried out drills simulating fighting in urban areas more applicable to Lebanon, amid winter weather, according to the IDF.
Since the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip more than three months ago, Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon, including the Hamas Movement and several other Palestinian armed factions, have attacked northern Israel on a near-daily basis.
So far, the border clashes have claimed the lives of 15 Israelis, including nine IDF soldiers, and more than 200 other people on the Lebanese side, including 160 fighters of Hezbollah.
The Israeli drills came amid fears of further escalation by Israel against Lebanon. On January 19, The Washington Post reported that Israel was eyeing an end-of-January timeframe for reaching a long-term diplomatic agreement with Lebanon, but will likely escalate fighting with Hezbollah if a deal is not secured.
Later on January 27, LBCI reported that intelligence gathered by major global powers indicates that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prepared to initiate a war against Lebanon.
The goal of the war will be to force Hezbollah to comply with United Nations Resolution 1701, which calls on the group to withdraw some 30-40 kilometers away from the Israeli border. According to the Lebanese broadcaster, an unnamed Arab nation provided the intelligence to Hezbollah.
With these developments unfolding, February is expected to be a pivotal month for Lebanon. United States envoy Amos Hochstein and French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who have been leading efforts to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Lebanon, will visit Beirut at the start of the month. However, Hezbollah is unlikely to make a compromise. The group’s officials said more than once that de-escalation will be only possible after the end of the war in Gaza.
