[News] The War Front: Week of 14 October 2024

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 The War Front: Week of 14 October 2024

Despite Israeli claims of military advances in southern Lebanon,
Hezbollah’s escalating operations and new weaponry reveal a fierce
resistance, challenging the occupation’s narrative and signaling yet
another u-turn in the war’s balance of power.

The Cradle's Military Correspondent
<https://thecradle.co/authors/the-cradles-military-correspondent>

OCT 23, 2024 -
https://thecradle.co/articles/the-war-front-week-of-14-october-2024
(Photo Credit: The Cradle)

Last week, the Israeli occupation army tried to project an image of victory
– or at least military progress – on the southern Lebanon front. They
published videos showing bombings of border villages and images of soldiers
raising Israeli flags, trying to convey a sense of power and control
despite a history of military failures
<https://thecradle.co/articles/the-insanity-of-repetition-israels-return-to-the-lebanese-quagmire>
in
the south.

But the reality on the ground tells a different story. This image is
nothing but another media stunt aimed at demoralizing Hezbollah and
reassuring Israeli settlers that their army is making progress to encourage
their return to northern settlements. Just days before his assassination,
the late Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah vowed
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/26934> to prevent their return as long as
the occupation state continues its aggression against Gaza.

*Hezbollah operations spike*

On 22 October, Hezbollah carried out the highest number of operations
against Israel since 8 October 2023, when it launched cross-border military
campaigns in support of Gaza and the Palestinian resistance.

Official statements from Hezbollah claimed responsibility for 39 attacks,
including the destruction of six Merkava tanks
<https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/10/23/735792/Hezbollah-hits-six-Israeli-Merkava-tanks-in-south-Lebanon>
near
the border, numerous anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) and rocket strikes on
occupation forces along the border, and some attacks reaching as far as 100
kilometers into Israeli territory.

Three of the most significant attacks targeted Tel Aviv’s suburbs: a
military-industrial complex, the Nirit settlement, and Unit 8200
<https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hezbollah-claims-to-target-idf-8200-base-near-tel-aviv/>,
the military’s intelligence corps for clandestine operations. Additionally,
the Stella Maris Naval Base north of Haifa was targeted with Naser 2
missiles, while drones launched around 7 pm Beirut time targeted the
Elyakim base south of Haifa, evading both the Iron Dome and Israeli air
force defenses.

Sirens wailed from the Lebanese border to 50 kilometers south of Haifa as
these drones flew overhead, forcing nearly a million Israelis into
shelters, triggering panic, and further embarrassing the military after a
Hezbollah drone struck Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27345>. Social media is rife with videos
<https://x.com/SuppressedNws/status/1848755643030901090> showing drones
flying for over 40 minutes before reaching their target.

*Israeli attempts to enter Southern Lebanon*

For over a year, the front lines in southern Lebanon have faced thousands
of raids after Hezbollah opened a support front for the Palestinian
resistance in Gaza. Despite this and the assassination of numerous top
Hezbollah military officials, the Lebanese resistance’s anti-armor missiles
continue to strike Israeli vehicles and soldiers from the border region.

Following heavy bombardments by the Israeli army, Hezbollah fighters
retreated to defensive positions, from which they have been countering
Israeli attempts <https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27172> to invade
southern Lebanon. The images and footage released by the Israeli army,
allegedly showing soldiers entering Hezbollah facilities near the border,
are nothing more than wartime propaganda.

These positions – constructed under the watchful eye of Tel Aviv – hold no
defensive value and have been bombed countless times without any real
strategic impact on the war.

These border facilities were previously used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan
Forces <https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27198> to launch attacks against
Israeli positions. The area south of the Litani River hosts thousands of
such installations, which are larger, deeper, and of far greater strategic
importance. The question remains: can Israeli army spokesperson Daniel
Hagari visit them at will? No.

Despite continuous attempts, the Israeli army has yet to secure a foothold
in southern Lebanon. They advance deeper, only to face fierce resistance,
forcing them to retreat under fire. The maximum depth reached by occupation
forces has been about two kilometers in the Al-Qouzah
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/27316> area, but they were forced to
retreat quickly, suffering heavy casualties and losing tanks and bulldozers
<https://www.almayadeen.net/news/politics/%D8%AD%D8%B2%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%82%D8%B9-%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%89-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%AD--%D9%86%D8%AD%D9%88-10>
in
the process.

*Hezbollah’s field advantages*

The Israeli military generally avoids venturing into villages and urban
areas, even after systematic destruction, to minimize direct clashes or the
risk of falling into Hezbollah’s ambushes. Instead, it prefers to advance
along the outskirts of villages, staying away from resistance fighters’
watchful eyes – except in regions where villages merge, such as Maroun
al-Ras, Al-Adaysa, and Yaroun.
Map highlighting key Lebanese villages and Israeli attempts to invade
southern Lebanon.

The border villages of Kfar Kila, Aita al-Shaab, Khiam, Maroun Al-Ras,
Yaroun, and others have all faced violent airstrikes
<https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/13/mapping-one-year-of-cross-border-attacks-between-israel-and-lebanon>
by
the occupation air force over the past year.

Although the US-backed Israeli forces are well-trained and equipped with
some of the world’s best military hardware, they are no match for the
terrain of southern Lebanon, which favors the guerrilla tactics adopted by
Hezbollah fighters.

Unlike the invaders, these fighters are natives of the villages where the
battles play out. They know the land intimately and use every tree, valley,
mountain, and rock to their advantage, defending their home with a
resilience that no technology can easily overcome.

High terrain provides them with visual and fire control, making it
difficult for enemy forces to advance. It’s also important to note that
there is no single “strategic village”; rather, control over different
areas provides varied tactical advantages.

For instance, Maroun al-Ras offers control over Bint Jbeil, a town
symbolically important to Israel for being the site of the legendary battle
<https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4095847,00.html> bearing its
name, and Nasrallah’s famous “spider web
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/spider-web-speech-2:-israeli-media-on-sayyed-nasrallahs-spee>”
speech following Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon six years earlier in 2000.

At that time, Lebanese resistance forces, led by the late Khaled Bazzi,
successfully confronted the Israeli army and prevented it from reaching the
site where Nasrallah gave his speech.

*Enhanced arsenal: Hezbollah’s new capabilities*

After weeks of silence, Hezbollah recently released footage
<https://x.com/TheCradleMedia/status/1848702558019227674> showing an attack
on an Israeli unit of seven soldiers with two Almas guided missiles
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/21154> in the village of Ramyeh. The
aftermath suggests at least two soldiers were killed and several injured,
although Israel has not reported any casualties—confirming suspicions that
Tel Aviv has been downplaying its losses
<https://thecradle.co/articles-id/24127> in southern Lebanon and elsewhere
throughout the war.

Moreover, Hezbollah introduced four new weapons
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-unveils-specs-of-newly-deployed-qader-2--nasr-1-mi>
into
service this month: the Qader 2 ballistic missile, the Naser 1 and Naser 2
missiles, and the M80 anti-personnel rocket launcher
<https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-barrages-israeli-positions--haifa--unveils-m-80-ro>.
The Qader 2 has a range of 250 kilometers with a 405-kilogram warhead,
while the Naser 1 and 2 have ranges of 100 kilometers and 150 kilometers,
respectively, each with pinpoint accuracy. These additions signal
Hezbollah’s advanced capabilities in both targeting and firepower.

After preventing the Israeli army from controlling or securing southern
villages, increasing the volume and quality of the daily attacks, and
deploying new strategic weapons, it seems clear that the Lebanese
resistance is gradually recovering after taking harsh blows
<https://thecradle.co/articles/after-nasrallah-command-and-control-in-rapid-recovery>
with the assassinations of its leaders and Israel’s pager terror attacks
last month.
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