Two Israeli soldiers don wound for Monday after clash with Hezbollah fighters for southern Lebanon. According to Lebanese Health Ministry, Israeli strikes kill 17 people and wound 35 for di past day.
Hezbollah don adopt new field strategy for southern Lebanon wey centre on close-range engagement with Israeli forces. Di sources wey talk to The New Arab say di approach dey deployed because of continued Israeli breaches of ceasefire wey theoretically come into effect on 17 April.
Di strategy based on targeting Israeli troop concentrations inside di so-called “Yellow Line“, an area wey Israeli forces declare as “security zone” for southern Lebanon. E dey response to raids on Lebanese border villages. E also include attacks on areas inside Israel if operations escalate beyond dis zone.
According to di sources, Hezbollah don deploy specialised units across di area wey dem refer to as “martyrdom fighters”. Dem say dese groups no dey primarily tasked with carrying out suicide bombings like vehicle-based attacks involving explosives-laden cars driven into military targets, although dem no rule out dat possibility given past precedent, including a 1995 operation carried out by Salah Ghandour.
Instead, di units dey tasked with “suicide combat” through direct, close-range engagement with Israeli forces without retreat, for battles where di likelihood of death higher dan survival. Di framing echoes recent media leaks suggesting possible return to some 1980s-era tactics, with references to “martyrdom fighters” raising questions over weda di term reflect mobilisation language or signal shift for operational thinking.
Di sources say fighters undertake dese missions voluntarily as part of broader effort to prevent Israeli forces from maintaining long-term occupation of Lebanese territory. Israel expansion into border villages for southern Lebanon don, according to di sources, create opportunities to inflict greater losses. Dem point to ambushes and use of attack drones guided via fibre optics as part of effort to force Israeli troops to withdraw and halt ongoing attacks, arguing dat increasing Israeli casualties disrupt Israeli military objectives on ground.
Israeli media reports suggest dat while casualties don remain relatively limited, dem don be persistent, with one soldier reported killed and around 12 wounded for a single drone strike near Shomera for late April, alongside repeated incidents of injuries caused by Hezbollah drones and fire since di ceasefire take effect.
Di developments come as Israel don intensify im military operations for southern Lebanon, stepping up strikes and raids targeting alleged “Hezbollah infrastructure”, while reinforcing surveillance and fortifications along di occupied border strip and tightening control over movement for di area. Israeli officials don publicly frame any potential suicide-style attack as “red line” wey go trigger wider escalation. However, Israeli media don seek to downplay di immediacy of di threat, suggesting di rhetoric may also serve deterrent or signalling purpose.
Israeli media appear divided over how far di current approach reflect revival of past methods, with some arguing dat battlefield conditions for southern Lebanon, including displacement and intensive surveillance, make traditional suicide-style operations difficult for Hezbollah to execute, while other reports emphasise dat fighters wey dey willing to engage “to di utmost limits” reflect existing capability wey fit still carry operational weight.
Sources close to di group tell TNA dat Hezbollah don shift tactics compared with earlier phases of di conflict and don now inflict greater damage, including through direct confrontations at very close range for areas such as Bint Jbeil and Khiam. Dem indicate dat dis approach go continue to dey used for di current phase.
While Israel claim full control over di “Yellow Line” zone, wey include around 55 border villages, di sources dispute dis, pointing to di continued presence of Hezbollah fighters and di launch of attacks from di area as evidence dat Israeli forces don fail to maintain control dere. Dem also say Israeli forces don previously establish underground infrastructure for border villages, wey don since dey destroyed. According to di sources, Israeli troops now dey take cover inside homes and among trees, making dem more vulnerable to attack. Preventing Israeli forces from rebuilding defensive infrastructure or securing positions wey go reduce dema exposure remain key part of Hezbollah current strategy, di sources add.
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