As Israeli political and military leaders increase threats of a major offensive against Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian Lebanese party is preparing for a major confrontation. Even though its leaders believe that all-out war is not inevitable, they act as if it would happen very soon.
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With our correspondent in Beirut, Paul Khalifeh
Corroborating sources report that the Hezbollah declared a state of general alert among its fighters who face the Israeli army on a 120-kilometer front. Three territorial combat groups composed of thousands of men are responsible for defending the border area with Israel. This is the Nasr unit, of which leader Taleb Abdallah was killed on June 12. The other two are named Aziz and Badr. These three groups are supported by the elite al-Radwan unit, which deploys in the south Lebanon more than 2500 experienced fighters.
Hezbollah has the capacity to send tens of thousands of men, seasoned and trained, to the Syrian battlefield as reinforcements. In addition to these numbers, Hezbollah has a vast arsenal made up of at least 150,000 rockets and missiles, including hundreds of long-range, high-precision projectiles equipped with guidance systems.
Hezbollah also has Chinese and Iranian-made surface-to-sea missiles and an anti-aircraft defense system with which he has already shot down at least five Israeli drones, as well as thousands of anti-tank guided missiles. Despite this mobilization, Hezbollah has not yet evacuated the buildings which house its media, social and administrative institutions, in Beirut and elsewhere.
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