Hezbollah Officer Debunks Israeli Advancement Claims in Field Update

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Military Media

Hezbollah's Resistance fighter killed and injured at least 20 Israeli elite troops in a short-lived incursion on Friday, which ended in retreat.

After the Israeli military command released a set of photos and footage from Lebanese border towns, asserting to have advanced into the villages, eliminated Resistance fighters, and captured weaponry, a Hezbollah officer has debunked these fragile claims. 

"The photos released by the Israeli enemy's military of its soldiers near the homes of a Lebanese border village in South Lebanon were taken in a geographic area only tens of meters away from occupied territories (the Palestinian-Lebanese border)," the officer said in a statement released by the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon's Military Media Unit. 

The photos showed residential areas, which have been built near the border in almost every border village in Lebanon, as a show of resilience against the occupying Israeli regime. 

Moreover, the officer stressed that capturing such photos is of utmost importance for the Israeli government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, after the Israeli military suffered heavy casualties during failed incursion attempts into South Lebanon. 

However, yet again, the Israeli military paid a heavy price for its attempts to boost morale, as confrontations in the same area killed and injured more than 20 Israeli special forces troops, the Hezbollah officer explained.

In detail, the officer explained that the photos were a result of Israeli special forces' incursion into the border towns of Yaroun and Maroun al-Ras, where similar attempts have been recorded since Monday night. 

Following heavy artillery bombardment and air raids on the two axes, Israeli special forces attempted to advance, however, they were caught in the crosshairs of Islamic Resistance fighters on Friday. 

Several ambush points had been set up by Resistance fighters, in close proximity to the border, some of which had been prepared as early as Thursday. 

Hezbollah fighters detonated explosive devices as soon as Israeli special forces arrived at the ambush points and confronted them in a close-quarters battle. The fighters were equipped with light and heavy weapons, as well as rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). 

As a result of the battle, numerous Israeli elite forces were either killed or wounded, while the surviving troops retreated under the intense barrage of artillery cover fire.

"Islamic Resistance fighters are monitoring, tracking, and confronting every hostile movement at the front line in southern Lebanon," the officer explained.

"They are pursuing Israeli enemy soldiers in their bases and rear outposts along the border in the occupied territories, using artillery shells and rocket salvos," the statement concluded.