November 22, 2024
By Nasser Kandil
• On every battlefront, the occupying army faces a web of interconnected villages, towns, and cities that form an impenetrable chain of resistance. Such is the case with Aita al-Shaab, Ramyah, Sarbin, Kfara, and Yater; with Maroun al-Ras, Yaroun, Bint Jbeil, Aitaroun, and Ainata; with Mais al-Jabal, Blida, Markaba, Raba al-Thalathin, Taybeh, Tallouseh, Majdal Selm; and Shemaa, al-Jibeen, Tair Harfa, al-Bayyada, and Majdal Zoun.
• Yet Khiam stands unique and solitary in its strategic position. Located between Metula on one side and Kfarkela and Adaisseh on the other, while Ghajar lies on a line disrupting its connection to Kfar Shouba, Khiam is surrounded by the towns of al-Qlaiaa and Marjayoun, where resistance forces find it challenging to establish firm footholds. This geographical significance made Khiam a focal point for the occupying army, which allocated two divisions to its assault: Division 210 from the north and east, and Division 98 from the south and west. Over the course of a month, the enemy launched two major strategic offensives on the town, each broken into dozens of tactical assaults.
• Despite these efforts, the occupying forces were confined to fighting along the eastern and southern outskirts of Khiam, struggling to secure the open areas separating the town from their positions. Their attempts to penetrate the town centre, a place comparable in symbolic and demographic weight to Bint Jbeil with its approximately 35,000 residents, met fierce resistance. The town of Khiam stood resilient, with the resistance fighters defending it through an intricate network of positions on surrounding hills – both near and distant.
• The resistance’s defence strategy for Khiam capitalised on advancements in weaponry since the July War of 2006. Short-range missiles and Kornet anti-tank missiles played a decisive role in scattering and disorienting the attacking forces, inflicting heavy losses on their ground units and vehicles. Inside the town, resistance fighters repeatedly engaged the enemy in direct, close-range combat, holding their ground against overwhelming odds.
• After a month of relentless battles, the occupying forces failed to seize Khiam or establish it as the foothold they sought for advancing toward the banks of the Litani River. Their plans to celebrate a hollow victory with a symbolic photo at the Khardali Bridge were thwarted. Khiam’s steadfastness shielded the entire South from such humiliation, preserving its dignity and pride.
• Khiam has inscribed a new chapter in the legend of resistance, echoing the heroism of Bint Jbeil in 2006.
