Israel identified a large mobilization of about 1,000 operatives from Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force in southern Lebanon just before the terrorist group’s opening response to the war in Iran, prompting senior IDF commanders to consider a possible preemptive strike, ynet learned on Tuesday.
According to the officials, the deployment was detected after Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem decided on March 1 to retaliate following confirmation that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed in the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion.
Israeli officials said they did not view the Radwan movement as symbolic and assessed that Hezbollah’s elite force was preparing a more substantial operation that could have included a broad rocket barrage as well as a ground invasion.
The officials said the episode underscored the threat Israel saw from Radwan forces positioned near the border at the outset of the Lebanon campaign. Radwan, Hezbollah’s elite unit, has long been viewed by Israel as the force most capable of carrying out a cross-border assault on northern Israeli communities, and Israeli planning has focused heavily on disrupting such formations before they can mass or launch coordinated attacks.
Security officials said that despite the ongoing campaign, Israel does not currently intend to establish a permanent ground hold up to the Litani River. Instead, they said, the military’s near-term emphasis is on maintaining air superiority and preventing Hezbollah from reestablishing a presence in the border zone.
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Archival: Radwan Force operatives during a military drill near the Israeli border, May 2023
(Photo: AFP)
At the same time, the officials said Israel’s directive is to prevent the return of civilians to areas south of the Litani for now. “From our standpoint, anyone who crosses is a terrorist,” the officials said, adding that the area from the border fence to the river is intended to remain free of civilians. They said any movement south of the Litani would be treated as hostile activity.
The officials also said homes in Lebanese villages near the border are expected to be demolished as part of what they described as an effort to remove threats facing Israeli communities along the frontier.
The officials’ remarks echoed comments made earlier by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who said Israel intends to prevent civilians from returning to areas south of the Litani River and to destroy homes in Lebanese border villages as part of a broader effort to remove threats near the frontier.