Hezbollah's Fierce Resistance Preventing 'Israel' from Capturing Khiam

By Al Mayadeen English

The Israeli occupation forces are still unable to make a breakthrough in southern Lebanon as Khiam proves to be near-impossible to invade in light of Hezbollah's fierce resistance.

Amid six days of intense fighting, Hezbollah continues to thwart Israeli attempts to capture the southern Lebanese town of Khiam. The resistance movement has maintained a strategy aimed at inflicting maximum losses on the Israeli occupation forces' 210th Division, consistent with its actions across other flashpoints.

Despite relentless Israeli airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and ground assaults since the start of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, Hezbollah has prevented Israeli forces from advancing into Khiam. This marks the second Israeli offensive against the town, with no signs of success thus far.

On Saturday, intense confrontations erupted west of Khiam, with the sound of explosions and heavy gunfire continuing into the morning. Resistance fighters launched swarms of drones and rocket salvos throughout the night, targeting Israeli troop groupings in the area.

According to field reports, the strikes disrupted Israeli command structures, leading to multiple injuries and a withdrawal of forces toward al-Omra, south of Khiam.

Israeli forces were also seen retreating eastward with their vehicles toward Wadi al-Khiam near the border.

Resistance operations

Hezbollah reported eight strikes on Israeli troop groupings east of Khiam on Friday, deploying both drones and rocket barrages.

To the south, the resistance targeted Israeli forces with rocket fire, destroyed a Merkava tank near the former Khiam detention center, and caused casualties among its crew. This latest attack raised the number of destroyed Merkava tanks to 51 since the attempted invasion began on September 17, according to Al Mayadeen's correspondent.

The Israeli Air Force, in response, bombed the al-Khardali road connecting Marjaayoun and Nabatieh after it was briefly reopened by UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army.

Israeli forces attempted to bypass Khiam by advancing toward Ibl al-Saqi and surrounding areas but were met with effective resistance fire, halting their maneuver.

In the eastern sector, Israeli troops advancing from Tal Nahas near Kfar Kila toward Deir Mimas faced three rocket strikes and artillery shelling.

Meanwhile, in the western sector, confrontations centered on the towns of Chama, al-Jebbayn, and Yarin, where Hezbollah destroyed a tank near al-Qalaa and targeted Israeli troop groupings with drone swarms.

Efforts by Israeli forces to secure al-Jebbayn overnight met fierce resistance, resulting in casualties and the destruction of another Merkava tank.

Strikes on Israeli north

Hezbollah also expanded its operations into northern occupied Palestine, launching 10 attacks on Saturday. The strikes targeted three military bases: the Shraga base near Akka, the "Israeli" early warning site in Mount Hermon, and the Habbousheet site at the summit of the same mountain.

Additionally, five military groupings were hit in Sa'sa', al-Malkiyyah, al-Manara, Zar’it, and Shomera, alongside Ramot Naftali.

Strategically, Hezbollah carried out three strikes inside Israeli depth, including two in occupied Haifa. The resistance targeted the Haifa Technical Base, an Israeli Air Force training facility, and Stella Maris Naval Base, responsible for coastal surveillance and operations. It also launched a rocket barrage on occupied Safad.

50,000 soldiers unable to breach

An Israeli newspaper reported earlier in November that despite deploying over 50,000 troops in southern Lebanon, the Israeli military has yet to “capture even a single village.”

Yedioth Ahronoth noted that after a month of operations involving five divisions—three times the force used in the 2006 war—"Israel" has failed to secure any foothold in the area.

According to the report, Hezbollah’s “effective tactical strategies” are a key factor, including layered defenses with precision munitions targeting Israeli armored vehicles and soldiers. The Israeli military has also struggled with mapping Hezbollah’s positions and neutralizing small, elusive drones.

Colonel Jack Neriya, a former advisor to Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, commenting on Hezbollah’s tactics, explained that fighters are deliberately allowing Israeli occupation forces to advance before trapping them in ambushes, creating significant challenges for even elite units like Golani.

Neriya warned that this approach could lead to higher casualties for Israeli forces than in any war since the late 1940s.