Mathew Levitt: You Have to Take Hezbollah’s Radwan Forces Seriously

By Staff, Jpost

While no one wants to drag the region into a war, the “Israelis” are more cautious to prevent the eruption of a full-fledged war with the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah in the light of the worsening security situation in the “Israeli”-occupied Palestinian territories.

In recent month, the apartheid “Israeli” regime has been preoccupied with the Iran nuclear deal, in addition to constantly delaying natural gas extraction from the Karish field after warnings by the resistance group. Thus, for “Israel”, going to war means that there is much at stake.

For its part, Hezbollah, which launched drones toward the Karish gas field in July, has warned the “Israeli” entity of a military action against it if it proceeds with gas extraction from the gas rig.

Referring to Karish, Hezbollah Secretary General His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned in early August that “the hand that reaches for any of this wealth will be severed.”

But Hezbollah’s warning to the “Israelis” do not come from void.  

According to Matthew Levitt, director of the Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Hezbollah has grown “with an estimated 150,000 rockets and munitions that can hit anywhere” in occupied Palestine.

Levitt believed that “in the next war, Hezbollah will try to fire close to 4,000 rockets per day to start, followed by some 2,000 per day until the last day of the conflict.”

In a recent interview with Walla, the “Israeli” Occupation Forces [IOF]’s Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordin said the IOF will prioritize the northern part of the entity, “since 50% of Hezbollah’s arsenal is aimed at cities 15 km from the border with Lebanon, including Nahariya, Acre, Safed and Kiryat Shmona.”

“Another 40% of Hezbollah’s missiles can reach Haifa and surrounding areas. Only 5% can reach targets further to the south,” he added.

“Hezbollah has not given up on work on its precision munition project,” Levitt said. He believes that the majority of the “Israeli” airstrikes in Syria are part of the “Israeli” entity’s so-called “war between the wars” campaign and that these airstrikes have been targeting components for the project.

Levitt adds that Hezbollah has sophisticated drones that can be used for reconnaissance missions or carry munitions to hit targets.

To add salt to the wound, former “Israel” Air Force [IAF] Commander Maj.-Gen Amikam Norkin has said the IAF lost its aerial superiority over Lebanon.

Nonetheless, Hezbollah is believed to have gained significant battlefield e experience throughout its involvement in Syria.

Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces are a force to be feared and are spread across southern Lebanon waiting for the order to wage a military action in the “Israeli”-occupied Palestinian territories.

“You have to take the Radwan forces seriously,” said Levitt.

In addition to the on-the-job training and weapons [including American-made AR-15s], the Radwan forces “are disciplined,” Levitt noted.