Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi instructed Brigadier General Moshe Chico Tamir to “prepare several possible plans for a ground operation in Lebanon,” Israeli media reported on Friday.
“Because of the possibility of a general war breaking out in the north, the Israeli army is preparing the option of a ground operation in Lebanon,” the Israeli Channel 13 reported.
“Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has assigned Brig. Gen. Chico Tamir to formulate a plan to start a ground maneuver against Hezbollah,” the report added.
According to the Anadolu news agency, the channel pointed out that “Tamir had great experience in the northern sector when he was in his last position as deputy commander of the Northern Corps of the Israeli army.”
“Tamir will develop a number of incursion plans of different scopes, including limited entry, which aims to push Hezbollah to withdraw eight to 10 kilometers off the border,” the channel reportedly said.
According to Channel 13, however, rumors claiming that the Israeli army would go against Hezbollah on March 15 were not confirmed by the military.
The Israeli army did not officially comment on the report.
This is What Will Happen to Israel in Case of All-Out War against Lebanon – Study
All-Out War?
Despite daily threats against Lebanon, a comprehensive Israeli study paints a bleak picture of what would happen should an all-out war take place.
Over 100 Israeli senior military and government officials took part in a study conducted by Reichman University Institute for Counterterrorism regarding what could happen in the case of an all-out war between Israel and the Lebanese Resistance group Hezbollah.
The findings of the study were published in a report issued by the Israeli news website Calcalist and other Israeli media.
This is the summary of the findings of the Israeli study.
- An Israel-Lebanon war in the north would start with a “massive and destructive barrage of Hezbollah rockets”, which are likely to reach all parts of the country.
- The number of Hezbollah rockets to hit Israel is estimated to be anywhere between 2,500 and 3,000 per day.
- The Hezbollah rockets will involve a mix of precision long-range missiles and less accurate rockets.
- Hezbollah is likely to concentrate its attacks on a single area at a time, for example, a major Israeli army base or a specific city in the center of the country.
- The rockets will continue on a daily basis and are likely to last for up to six weeks.
Tensions Running High
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, on October 7, the Lebanese movement Hezbollah has engaged directly, but relatively in a limited way in the war against the Israeli occupation.
According to Hezbollah sources, the movement has carried out 1,194 military operations in the first 150 days of war, killing over 2,000 Israeli soldiers.
In Numbers – Israel’s Losses in the Last Five Months of Fighting with Hezbollah
Israel has occupied parts of Lebanon for decades and has only left the country in 2000, following stiff Lebanese resistance under Hezbollah’s leadership.
It attempted to re-occupy Lebanon in 2006 but failed in what Lebanon considers a major victory against Israel.
Israel, however, continues to occupy parts of Lebanon, namely the Sheeba Farms region.
Hezbollah has vowed to recover every inch of Lebanon that has been occupied by Israel contrary to international law.
(PC, Anadolu)