“We are the battalion combat team that first entered Lebanon, more than 40 days ago,” said Lt. Col. A., commander of the 75th Battalion, who has taken a short break with his troops and is already preparing for the next round of fighting. For the soldiers, the concept of “home” has become abstract. “They have fire in their eyes — they don’t know when they went in or when they last came home, but their motivation is at its peak,” according to their commander.
The attacks in Bint Jbeil
The battalion commander and his forces are seasoned from multiple previous campaigns, but Lt. Col. A. does not hide the fundamental differences between Gaza and southern Lebanon. “When you go on the offensive in Gaza, you mostly focus on short ranges,” he explained. “In Lebanon, the fighting is far more spread out. Anti-tank positions are located at longer ranges, and the main challenge for a commander is to understand that every meter is a potential combat zone. This is a type of warfare that requires a deep understanding of the terrain, of explosives and of an enemy that is right there, 40 meters to 50 meters away from you, face to face.”
According to him, Hezbollah operatives avoid direct engagement with Israeli forces. “Every time we move forward, they move back. That’s the equation that leads to victory. When the enemy is pushed back, its drones and explosives hit the army and not civilians in the Galilee. The range of threats to the communities would have been far greater if we weren’t there,” he said.
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Lt. Col. A., commander of the 75th Battalion, says his troops are highly motivated
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The IDF said Tuesday night that the commander of the 52nd Armored Battalion was seriously wounded during operational activity in southern Lebanon the previous day. The circumstances are still under review, and the officer was evacuated to a hospital for treatment. In addition, Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth have learned that Hezbollah operatives, apparently from the Radwan force, had planned to raid an IDF position in Lebanon. The attempt was thwarted in advance.
The military is currently shaping its operational approach in what is being referred to as a security buffer zone. While the IDF avoids using the term “security zone,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned it at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting earlier this week. There appear to be gaps between the military and political leadership in their defense concepts. These days, Northern Command is presenting its plan for reshaping the area to the political echelon, with officers emphasizing that only when residents see soldiers physically present in front of them will they feel secure.
Asked about the concept of a “security zone,” Lt. Col. A. stressed that the process is still underway. “We are shaping it now. The goal is clear: to create an area with no enemy and no population, to ensure that Israeli communities are not on the front line. We are destroying terror infrastructure and creating a buffer, so that fighting always takes place on enemy territory.”
Lt. Col. A. concluded the conversation with a message of pride in his troops: “We came in with a great deal of operational experience, and we continue to learn more and more about combat methods. I have the best commanders and soldiers I could have imagined. The decision to fight in Lebanon and Iran simultaneously is not something to be taken for granted — it demonstrates the strength of the IDF. We are writing history.”