Description:
During an interview earlier this month, senior Lebanese political analyst Anees Naqqash revealed key details surrounding Hezbollah’s llatest military operation targeting an Israeli military vehicle deep within Israeli-controlled territory.
Naqqash said that with this unprecedented operation, Hezbollah proved that it can easily enter the entire Israeli-controlled Galilee region in any future war.
The Lebanese political commentator is a prominent fixture on Lebanese and Arab television and is known to have very close ties with the Hezbollah leadership.
Source: Al-Mayadeen TV (YouTube)
Date: 1 September, 2019
Transcript:
The host: We’re talking about a high-level security breach, and the implementation of a completely successful operation, and more importantly, Israel failed to locate (the Hezbollah members) who, as described by some, “had vanished”.
Naqqash: Well they vanished after the operation. The real challenge was crossing the borders because the (Israeli) enemy is known to have multiple security lines starting with a smart fence covered in equipment and sensors connected to radars. There’s also 75 main monitoring stations on the Israeli borders equipped with thermal imaging cameras that catch every meter day and night, not to mention the sensors on the borders. There’s the sand road that is smoothed out every day to detect footprints, even if a cat passed by, it will leave a trace. In spite of all these precautions, and the presence of Merkava tanks equipped with radars to detect not only aircrafts but also individuals – in spite of the all the capabilities that the enemy has, the resistance managed to penetrate into the occupied territory, and choose a target.
The host: Did the resistance penetrate from above or under the ground? Because Benjamin Netanyahu is boasting about his accomplishments regarding the tunnels.
Naqqash:: we will let (the Israelis) make guesses on this issue. What matters is that the (resistance) sent the Israelis a message saying: “we broke through your multiple (security) lines on the borders. And we broke through them with a group large enough to fire three missiles from three launchers all at once, and (a group) that chose a target in a spot that cannot be seen from the Lebanese border, and it came back without being caught.” This is a serious breach. I believe that if they’re able to break through this location, then they can break through the whole Galilee region.
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Naqqash:: Therefore, the army, the Israeli army of aggression, will hold a meeting today and will arrive to the conclusion that this is a highly sophisticated operation that should be taken seriously for the future. I believe, as I’ve said earlier, that breaking through this location means that breaking through into the Galilee (region) through many locations is now easy. The Israelis are saying: “what if the same operation was conducted on a larger scale; instead of one group attacking one target, (numerous groups) attack one or two hundred targets. How can we stop them? They are already here. And they reached us while carrying heavy weapons, and now we feel unsettled.” Regarding the lies of Netanyahu, I think it’s a blessing in disguise. He is trying to be smart, but we won’t let it slide. I promise you he will pay dearly for telling these lies.
The host: there is footage?
The guest: sooner or later, he will pay dearly for telling these lies. At the right time, the public opinion in Israel will know that he is a big liar and that no matter what he says and how much he tries to deceive the people – the casualties (from the operation) are confirmed. He is lying to the public. Maybe he’s thinking that he needs to mitigate the impact of this attack in order to stop the Arab street from getting too happy. Some people today, even people on our side in Lebanon, might say: “the strike didn’t hit any Israeli soldiers. The Israelis let it pass this time.” But what are they going to do tomorrow when the truth comes out, with Israeli elections coming up?
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Naqqash: The key element in this operation is that it was announced beforehand. If I’m planning an operation in Lebanon, the Gaza strip or the West Bank without the knowledge of the enemy, and if the Israeli intelligence wasn’t aware of the planning, then the element of surprise would be crucial for the success of the operation.
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Naqqash: However, the element of surprise here is very limited because the operation was announced. “You carried a strike against me. I’m coming for you in a couple of days”, said Sayyed Nasrallah, “in one, two, three or four days. Wait for me.” This means that the (Israeli) enemy took all the necessary precautions. It has been on high alert waiting for the strike, and taking all necessary precautions. However, we found a way around these precautions.
Therefore, if we want to carry out an operation without the enemy being on full alert, and we want to take the enemy by surprise, we can. We can surprise it with our weaponry, like we did when we struck the (Israeli) Hanit warship in the sea (in 2006), or (surprise) it with our tactics, or with the timing (of an attack), as was the case at the time of the capture of the two Israeli soldiers. Therefore, today I believe that this operation was one of the greatest examples of rising to the challenges and difficulties, in every aspect, especially with the fact that it was carried out in broad daylight.
During the night, when we use to go on patrols as fighters we used to say that the night or darkness is our companion. Even with the presence of night-vision binoculars, one needs to look in your direction to see you. However, during the day, you can be seen from far away. This operation was conducted during the day, in broad daylight. Therefore, all the challenges faced, in every dimension, couldn’t be bigger than in this (operation).
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