Hezbollah Destroys 10 Merkava Tanks in Taybeh-Qantara Battle

By Al Mayadeen English

Source: Islamic Resistance in Lebanon Military Media

Hezbollah says it destroyed 10 Merkava tanks and two D9 bulldozers in a Taybeh-Qantara ambush targeting Israeli forces in south Lebanon clashes.

A statement issued by Hezbollah’s operations room detailed a large-scale confrontation in the Taybeh-Qantara axis, where resistance fighters carried out a coordinated ambush against advancing Israeli forces in south Lebanon.

According to the statement, forces from the Israeli occupation forces' 36th division, specifically the 7th brigade, deployed a remote-controlled bulldozer on Tuesday, March 26, to probe Hezbollah defensive positions between the Moheisbat area in Taybeh and the town of Qantara. Resistance fighters monitored the movement and deliberately delayed engagement to lure the force into a prepared ambush.

At 18:50 on Wednesday, an armored unit advanced in a column formation from Moheisbat toward Qantara in an attempt to seize the town. Hezbollah fighters waited until all vehicles entered a predesignated kill zone before launching guided missiles at the central formation, which consisted of four Merkava tanks and a D9 bulldozer, destroying them entirely.

Merkava tanks, bulldozers destroyed

As a rear unit of four Merkava tanks attempted to conceal its position using heavy smoke cover, Hezbollah fighters launched a second wave of guided missile strikes, destroying the entire unit as the tanks were seen burning.

Simultaneously, Hezbollah artillery support units targeted Israeli command centers positioned in the Taybeh, Rab Thalathin, and al-Ouwayda area, as well as reinforcements dispatched to evacuate casualties.

A forward unit attempted to continue advancing toward the entrance of Qantara but was met with direct missile fire, resulting in the destruction of a D9 bulldozer and a Merkava tank, followed by another tank.

Israeli soldiers were forced to abandon remaining vehicles and retreat on foot toward the Moheisbat area while attempting to evacuate the wounded.

Hezbollah stated that the operation resulted in the destruction of 10 Merkava tanks and two D9 bulldozers, adding that a similar attempt two days earlier from Taybeh toward Deir Siryan had also been thwarted, with eight Merkava tanks destroyed.

Defense of Lebanon ongoing as Hezbollah confronts IOF 

This comes as Hezbollah continues to valiantly defend Lebanon in the face of "Israel" under Operation Devoured Straw.

The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon – Hezbollah conducted a series of operations targeting Israeli occupation forces and positions on March 25, while continuing to confront advancing troops near the southern border and inflicting successive strikes on armored units.

The fighting was particularly intense in the southern border town of al-Qawzah, where positions held by Israeli forces came under sustained fire. The operations formed part of a broader effort to counter a multi-pronged Israeli advance aimed at seizing additional territory in southern Lebanon and shifting the front line away from northern settlements.

The Resistance also revealed details of two operations carried out the previous day. In the first, its Air Defense Force launched multiple surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli fighter jet at 17:30, forcing it to retreat from Lebanese airspace.