Hezbollah Tactics Surpass Most Recent IOF Drill

Local Editor

As the "Israeli" entity's Occupation Forces' drill simulating the next war with Hezbollah entered its third day on Wednesday, it was evident that the Resistance group was fighting a different war from the scenario tens of thousands of "Israeli" troops were practicing in the north.

A three-year siege by the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for "ISIS" / "ISIL"] had been breached by the Syrian Army and Hezbollah with massive Russian air and missile support.

The Syrian Army with allied forces were able to advance into the long-beleaguered eastern town, free the population and reunite with the force holding out in the trapped Syrian airbase.

Russian jets were there to hit any Daesh militants emerging to refortify damaged lines and rebuild military positions and prevent manpower moving between points. The defense ministry in Moscow confirmed that a Russian warship in the Mediterranean had fired Kalibr cruise missiles to destroy a Daesh communications and command center, ammo depots and an armored vehicle repair shop. The Wahhabi occupiers of Deir ez-Zor had no air defense missiles for hampering Russian air strikes.

This Deir ez-Zor operation counts nonetheless as a major victory for the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian Army, although there is still more fighting ahead in the east, as the defeated Daesh withdraws eastward towards another of its strongholds, the Syrian-Iraqi border town of Abu Kamal.

Hezbollah certainly shares in this victory against Daesh in ten days of fighting.

It is not its first. Last week, the clash of arms against Daesh and other Takfiri terrorist groups in the Qalamoun Mountains on the Syrian-Lebanese border ended in their virtual surrender and withdrawal.

There was coordination between the Syrian, Lebanese and Hezbollah forces battling Daesh enclaves on both sides of that border. It was this virtual coalition which tipped the balance and led to the operation's successful conclusion.

Therefore, we are seeing Hezbollah emerging as an army, which has gained valuable combat experience in five years of fighting shoulder to shoulder with the Syrian army and allied forces. This experience was enhanced in recent weeks by close military conjunction with two world powers, Russia and the US.

The IOF drill which has another couple of days to go is geared to fighting a war triggered by a Hezbollah operation of the northern borders of "Israeli"-occupied Palestine from Lebanon. Is that scenario still realistic in the light of that experience and the latest events on two Syrian battles?

Most unlikely, say "Israeli" military sources. They note that, building on its gains and experience in the Syrian war arena, Hezbollah may well choose a quite different tactic, e.g., an attempt to draw "Israeli" forces into Lebanon and then Syria by opening a second front against the IOF from there.

In Syria, Hezbollah can count on the support of the Syrian army and pro-Iranian resistance groups - an alliance which has proved itself in Syria.

According to the DebkaFiles, the IOF still has a chance to update its scenario in the remaining days of the exercise.

Source: DebkaFile, Edited by website team