FP: ’Israel’ Fears Hizbullah’s Death Valley
Local Editor
In a study published by the Foreign Policy, Nour Samaha wrote:
"Hizbullah is preparing for what it says will be its biggest war ever, in a small area between Syria and the "Israeli"-occupied territories."
According to the journalist, this small Lebanese town [Shebaa] straddles a steep valley, with Syria on one side and Palestine on the other. It sits under the watchful eye of an "Israeli" military base perched on the top of a nearby mountain, while an observation post manned by UN peacekeepers watches from another. The Lebanese army holds an assortment of positions within the town and its outskirts, and the snow-capped mountaintops of the "Israeli"-occupied Syrian Golan Heights can be seen clearly from the town center.
Within the valley, "Israel" and Hizbullah eye each other warily. The latter is counting on this becoming a flashpoint for any future conflict with the Zionist entity. And in fighting on the Syrian ground, the party gained a level of tactical experience and weaponry that has made it a far more threatening force for its enemies elsewhere in the region.
On the "Israeli" side, top officials confirmed that Hizbullah continues to be one of the country's top security threats and raised the possibility of a large-scale offensive against the group. "Hizbullah today poses the most serious threat to "Israel"," said the Zionist army Chief Gadi Eizenkot.
While Hizbullah largely fired unguided rockets into the "Israeli" entity during the 2006 war, its weapons capabilities have currently received a major upgrade.
In this context, analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Jeffrey White, noted that: "Now Hizbullah has the ability to strike guided munitions across "Israel"; they can hit targets inside "Israel" - including central and southern areas - with increased accuracy, including command posts, airfields, and major economic targets."
White further added that the party seems to have acquired advanced air-defense systems and Yakhont naval cruise missiles, which could also potentially threaten "Israel's" air force and target the country's oil platforms in the Mediterranean Sea.
This explains why last month, "Israel's" Northern Command - including its naval units and air forces -carried out a massive two-week training exercise in preparation for the possibility of war on multiple fronts on its entity's northern border.
The "Israeli" army also changed its operational assessment to reflect the likelihood that Hizbullah was in possession of advanced surface-to-air missile systems and had the ability to target "Israeli" fighter jets.
In a related context, Hizbullah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah focused largely on "Israel," warning it last month of the dire consequences if it plans on launching a war against the movement. Referring to the party's capabilities, Sayyed Nasrallah cited the chemical plant in the northern city of Haifa as an example of a possible target, in which he said that a rocket targeting the ammonia tanks there would leave tens of thousands dead and 800,000 people affected.
Source: Foreign Policy, Edited by website team
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