The Israeli Defense Forces recently released a map detailing the location of more than 950 facilities, including bunkers, underground facilities, and weapons storage sites in southern Lebanon built by Hezbollah since the end of the Second Hezbollah War in the summer of 2006. Many of Hezbollah’s facilities “are located near hospitals, private homes and schools,” the IDF said. The map is reprinted below. From the IDF website:
The Hezbollah terrorist organization is spread out between as many as 1,000 facilities in southern Lebanon, located in 270 civilian villages. The organization continues to acquire munitions and strengthen, funded by Syria which is also smuggling weapons to it. This includes weapons which can reach populations in the center of Israel in cities like Tel Aviv.
According to IDF intelligence, since the end of the Second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah has built as many as 550 bunkers in the southern Lebanon region, holding various weapons. In addition, the organization has built 300 underground facilities and 100 storage units for munitions including rockets, missiles and other weapons.
Many of these terror centers are located near hospitals, private homes and schools, Hezbollah’s way of taking advantage of the civilian population of Lebanon. According to the IDF Northern Command, Hezbollah militants have doubled in number since the end of the last war.
Today, Hezbollah is estimated to have an arsenal of more than 40,000 rockets. This being the case, if war breaks out, Hezbollah will be able to launch between 500 and 600 rockets at Israel every day. One of the organization’s main civilian centers for storing munitions is the village of Al Khiyam in southern Lebanon, where hundreds of rockets and mortar shells with varying ranges are stored. More than 100 Hezbollah militants operate in the village, including special forces ready for combat with IDF soldiers.
Hezbollah is thus trying to distort the balance of power in Lebanon and return to full, routine militant activity in southeast Lebanon, similar to its activity levels just prior to the war in 2006. Hezbollah militant activities are based in southern Lebanon, funded and maintained by Syria and Iran. All of these are in direct violation to the UN Security Council’s 1701 decision, carried out on August 12th, 2006, at the end of the Second Lebanon War.
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3 Comments
Israel must initiate a “MAD” doctrine with Iran and Syria. It must state that it views Hezbollah as a direct military arm of Iran and Syria. Any attack by Hezbollah is a direct act of War and will result in Lebonese, Syrian and Iranian Cities coming under under full attack. Israel must have in its possession the bunker busters/ delivery systems required to eradicate all bunkers in Southern Lebanon within the first hour (rapid launch mobile missles with 10,000 lbs warheads). There must be a definitive statement that no consideration will be given to target selection except destroying the target with as little cost to Israel as possible in materials and men. Israel should admit to its nuclear arsenal and that it will indeed use it to destroy the entire Islamic world it faces annihilation. That’s indeed “MAD”.
It’s been speculated that Hezbollah will attempt to trigger a war with Israel to distract from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Tehran and Damascus must feel the wrath of God, if they decide to instigate another war by proxy…
I agree with the previous post that prescribes massive retaliation against the political capitals of the bully boy regimes of Assad and Ahmadinejad…
Israel needs to make it clear that there are two levels of response, a. Severe and b. Critical…
Severe occuring from any sustained attack upon Israel and resulting in the directed targeting of not only hezbollah forces but Syrian and Iranian military bases via the use of the most powerful conventional ordinances…
Critical being activated if any attempted invasion occurs and which would result in Damascus, Tehran and Beiruit being removed from the map!