Ambushes and raids: Inside the earliest hours of Israel's ground operation in Lebanon

The early days of Israel's ground incursion to combat Hezbollah in Lebanon have seen successes and losses for the IDF. While some Israeli troops have been killed, due to the efforts of the 98th Division, the air force, commando troops, and others, the military has successfully eliminated dozens of terrorists and destroyed over 100 terrorist structures.

In a severe ambush on the Egoz Unit, several soldiers were killed and wounded. Rescue teams responded quickly before being met with live fire by Hezbollah terrorists.

The 98th Division, under the command of Brig.-Gen. Guy Levy secretly entered southern Lebanon in the overnight hours between Monday and Tuesday, launching attacks on several targets simultaneously. Already in the initial phase of the operation, the division deployed a combined fire effort of artillery batteries, tanks, combat helicopters, and fighter jets to eliminate terrorists in the complex terrain.

Directed by intelligence, the various forces were assigned missions to reach selected Hezbollah targets, including command centers, launch sites, and observation posts, which served as gathering and organizing sites for attacks on the Israeli rear.

Since the start of the ground maneuver into Lebanon, the 98th Division, in a joint effort with the IAF, has eliminated over 50 terrorists.

How do Hezbollah terrorists operate?

According to military sources, unlike Hamas terrorists, Hezbollah operatives are not quick to charge at the forces – instead, they conduct remote shootings and attacks.

In the past 24 hours, several commando and paratrooper brigade forces engaged in close-range firefights with Hezbollah terrorists, successfully neutralizing the attackers while locating rocket and anti-tank missile launch positions and weapons caches.

Excitement spread among the forces in the field when the 98th Division’s commander, Brig. Gen. Levy entered the area to monitor the maneuver’s progress and fight shoulder-to-shoulder with the commando and paratrooper units.

On Thursday morning, fighters from the Egoz Unit set out in the dead of night for an attack, during which they encountered very close-range gunfire from terrorists who emerged from a building and engaged in an exchange of fire. Soldiers from the unit were killed during the incident.

During the battle to rescue the ambushed troops, heavy fire was directed at the force, including anti-tank missiles, small arms fire, and mortar fire.

Commando Brigade commander Col. Omer Cohen led the rescue battle, which was described as heroic. The commando fighters stormed the compound under heavy fire to evacuate the wounded and the dead, transporting them to the border.

Helicopters landed one after another despite the tremendous risk of live fire directed at the area. The initial debriefing of the event saw praise for the cooperation between the pilots, Unit 669 fighters, medical teams, and commando brigade soldiers.

The IDF has set a goal to attack and destroy all Hezbollah sites near the border.

Division 98 praised the commando brigade fighters, who have been operating in complex weather conditions around the clock since the beginning of the ground maneuver under foggy and cloudy skies.

The division estimates that since Thursday morning, dozens of terrorists have been killed by IDF fire. So far, more than 150 terrorist structures have been destroyed by air and ground strikes.