November 04, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
• Political noise remains just that – noise, and diplomatic dust is still only dust. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s equation endures: the truth lies in what you see, not what you hear; the battlefield speaks louder than words.
• With the Resistance’s military media releasing two new videos – one showcasing the powerful missile capabilities of the Imad 5 Operations Room hidden deep within mountains, using sophisticated mechanical and electrical systems for underground deployment, and another displaying the deadly targeting of occupying soldiers and officers in Kafr Kila and Adaisseh- reports emerged of the occupying army withdrawing units from the 98th Brigade out of Khiam and its surroundings.
• The five brigades deployed by the occupying army to Lebanon’s border constitute over three-quarters of its forces, with the remaining quarter engaged in Gaza. Among these brigades, the 36th and 98th Brigades form the backbone of the war plan.
• The 36th Brigade includes the Golani Brigade, the elite of the occupying army’s units, which incorporates the Egoz unit specialising in mountain warfare and countering unconventional resistance tactics. It also includes the elite 7th Armored Brigade, essential in the occupying army’s major offensive operations.
• The 98th Brigade comprises three main units: a paratrooper brigade, a special forces brigade, and the Merkava armoured brigade. Ranking just below the 36th Brigade in importance, the 36th was assigned to the Ayta ash-Shab front, while the 98th was positioned around Khiam. Both fronts were critical in the 2006 war, as they are again in this war.
• The 36th Brigade suffered severe losses, particularly the Golani and 7th Armored Brigades, losing nearly 30 tanks and sustaining over 500 casualties. Engagements in the Qouzah and Ayta ash-Shab fronts have been a significant disappointment, failing to achieve the strategic objectives set for this war.
• Over the past week, the 98th Brigade struggled on the Khiam front, extending westward to Kafr Kila and Adaisseh and eastward to Ghajar, attempting to advance while facing fierce Resistance under aerial bombardments and artillery shelling. As the dust of battle settled, the 98th Brigade’s significant losses led to its retreat, the latest blow documented in video footage showing its personnel being targeted in Kafr Kila and Adaisseh.
• The removal of both the 36th and 98th Brigades may be temporary, with attempts to re-advance possible. However, if permanent, it signifies the collapse of the occupying army’s illusion of victory in ground warfare – a potential beginning of the war’s end.
