October 17, 2024
Nasser Kandil
• On September 30th, the occupying army launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon, described as “limited”. It mobilised six military divisions, which in essence is the entire occupying army, leaving less than one division in Gaza and a brigade in the West Bank, supported by the Shabak and Border Police. Soon after, two divisions were withdrawn, leaving four (divisions 98, 36, 91, and 146) as the difficulty of rapid progress on the frontlines became evident, coinciding with the resistance regaining control in Gaza. By October 14th, a fifth division, the 210th, was redeployed, signalling the beginning of a qualitative ground offensive. The five divisions were spread across five axes: the first in the Naqoura region extending to the Aita al-Shaab front (division 146), the second on the Maroun al-Ras front (division 36), the third on the Adaisseh front (division 91), the fourth on the Kafr Kila front (division 98), and the fifth on the Shebaa Farms front (division 210).
• During the first two weeks of the ground offensive, the elite Eguz unit of the Golani Brigade, which itself is the elite brigade of division 36, suffered heavy losses attempting to advance on the axes of Blida, Maroun al-Ras, and Yaroun. The first week resulted in 25 dead and 135 wounded. In the second week, a devastating blow was dealt to the Golani Brigade when a drone targeted the Binyamina base, killing four and wounding 67. This effectively crippled division 36’s offensive capabilities, forcing reliance on division 146 to spearhead the advance, while division 36 shifted to the right flank of the attack on the Mays al-Jabal, Rab al-Thalathin, and Muhaybib axes.
• On the night of October 15/16, a ground offensive was launched that could no longer be described as limited, as it involved five divisions – roughly 75,000 soldiers and officers, over 200 tanks, and 500 armoured personnel carriers, a force comparable in size to the 1982 invasion. The claim of the operation’s “limited” nature seems to preemptively account for potential failure, supported by an explanation from the occupying army’s officers that their objective was to secure a three-kilometre strip under the pretext of preventing tunnel infiltration into occupied territory. However, the sheer scale of the forces and the strategic objectives of the ground operation suggest that, at a minimum, the goal is to occupy the entire area south of the Litani River.
• The occupation army’s advance ranged from 500 to 1,500 metres, with the Ramyah–al-Qawzah–Aita al-Shaab front serving as the primary combat zone. Both Ramyah and Aita al-Shaab are located directly on the border, and the battle has been raging over a 20-square-kilometre area, ten kilometres wide and two kilometres deep. Over a 24-hour period, more than 300 airstrikes and 2,000 artillery shells were fired. According to occupying army media outlets, ten helicopters evacuated 45 injured soldiers from the frontline to hospitals in northern occupied Palestine, particularly in Haifa. Reports also circulated about a complex ambush set by the resistance, which lured an entire company of the occupying army into a deadly fire trap.
• We are witnessing days of intense combat, as the resistance faces off against the occupying army. These battles may drag on for another week, marked by attrition and delaying tactics as the resistance draws the enemy into a major killing zone, reminiscent of what occurred in Wadi al-Hujeir during the 2006 war. Seventeen days of fighting reveal that the resistance has prepared meticulously for this confrontation, crafting military feats that will be studied in war colleges. However, the true scale of the slaughter that is to come will surpass all imagination and expectations.
