Hezbollah has embedded its significant terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanese villages, risking the lives of thousands of civilians in the event of another war against Israel, according to a senior Israeli military official quoted in The New York Times Wednesday.
Viewed from the air, Muhaybib looks like a typical southern Lebanese village — a cluster of about 90 houses and buildings punctuated by the minaret of a mosque and surrounded by fields.
But when the Israeli military trains its lens on that hilltop Shiite village close to the border, it sees nine arms depots, five rocket-launching sites, four infantry positions, signs of three underground tunnels, three antitank positions and, in the very center of the village, a Hezbollah command post. …
The Israeli military says that a few miles northwest of Muhaybib, in the larger village of Shaqra, with a population of about 4,000, it has identified about 400 military sites and facilities belonging to Hezbollah, which Israel says has been armed by Iran and Syria.
According to the Israeli military official quoted in the report, Hezbollah’s positioning effectively means that “civilians are living in a military compound.”
Because of Hezbollah’s threat to Israel, which includes an estimated 100,000 rockets and hundreds of long-range missiles that could strike anywhere in Israel, the IDF will be forced to respond decisively to any attack and, according to former national security advisor Maj. Gen. (res) Yaakov Amidror, Hezbollah’s use of Lebanese villages as military bases “means that many, many Lebanese will be killed.” Amidror added, “Where is the world? Why does it not stop the buildup?”
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was passed unanimously to end the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, forbids the transfer of weaponry to Hezbollah. However, Iran has continued to arm Hezbollah and the Security Council has refused to act to enforce the resolution.
#Intelligence = you know what you know. And we know a whole lot about #Hezbollah in Lebanon. http://t.co/GRiJ2ijGJX pic.twitter.com/I06TIzMVwH
— Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) May 13, 2015
The Associated Press added:
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under military guidelines, said an estimated 200 villages have been turned into “military strongholds.” …
If war breaks out and Hezbollah fires missiles at Israel, these buildings will be targeted by Israel’s air force, the official said, adding that Israel would give civilians time to evacuate.
Two years ago it was reported that Hezbollah exploited civilians by offering reduced price housing to Shiite families who allowed the terrorist group to hide rocket launchers in their homes.
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr ]