Israel Faces Stiff Hezbollah Resistance in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces are encountering significant resistance from Hezbollah as they advance into southern Lebanon, leading to intense clashes in strategic areas. Fighting has been particularly fierce around the hilltop city of Khiam, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched air and artillery strikes against entrenched Hezbollah fighters. A Hezbollah spokesperson acknowledged "heightened clashes" on the city's eastern and northern outskirts.

In addition to Khiam, Israeli troops are attempting to push into border towns in the central and western sectors of southern Lebanon. A resident of Aita al-Chaab reported intense fighting between Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah fighters in the area. A Lebanese security source indicated that several border towns have become sites of heavy combat as Israel seeks to infiltrate southern Lebanon through various points along the shared border, meeting resistance from Hezbollah members.

The IDF has amassed troops along the border, deploying four brigades and columns of tanks ahead of an expanded ground invasion. The Israeli military stated it has commenced a "limited ground operation," with political leaders discussing the possibility of expanding the campaign.

The conflict escalated after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel on March 2, prompting Israel to initiate a military operation in Lebanon aimed at eliminating Hezbollah. Hezbollah describes the war as a fight for Lebanon's survival, asserting it is defending the country from near-daily Israeli airstrikes since the November 2024 ceasefire. Outside Hezbollah's constituency, the move to drag Lebanon into a war has been deeply unpopular.

The current hostilities pit Israel's airpower against Hezbollah's guerrilla tactics. Experts note that ground fighting in Lebanon is now centered on strategic locations, particularly Khiam, which could determine Hezbollah's ability to repel Israel's invasion. Ahmad Beydoun, a researcher specializing in open-source investigations of armed conflicts, stated that "Khiam sits on a high plateau overlooking the Hula Valley and along key routes leading west towards the Israeli border." Israeli control of this hilltop would disrupt Hezbollah's supply lines to its fighters in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military has targeted civilian infrastructure in southern Lebanon to further cut off supply lines, striking bridges crossing the Litani River and major roads leading south. It has also hit medical centers and emergency workers, actions that rights groups say are designed to degrade living conditions in southern Lebanon.

Despite more than a year of efforts by the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah and near-daily Israeli strikes on fighters and weapons caches, Hezbollah has managed to maintain a strong presence south of the Litani River. The group has employed a combination of anti-tank guided munitions, drones, and artillery to resist Israeli advances.

Residents of southern Lebanon report that Hezbollah fighters are actively engaging Israeli forces. Imad Salameh, the mayor of Khiam, noted that "Hezbollah is now fighting on the ground. Every town in the south has at least a couple hundred fighters armed with anti-tank missiles. This won't be an easy walk for Israel." He added that support for Hezbollah is widespread in the south and that weapons caches are distributed throughout the region.

As Hezbollah clashes with Israeli forces in Khiam, the IDF is pushing at the edges of the border. A Lebanese security source reported that Israeli forces are using hilltops on their side of the border to bombard Lebanese positions as soldiers attempt to encircle fighters.

Israel is also creating "safe zones" along the Lebanese border, where residents can stay as long as they self-police to prevent Hezbollah infiltration. A resident of Kafr Shouba recounted that Israeli forces raided his home and three others, searching for weapons and detaining one resident for interrogation.

The immediate goal of the Israeli campaign, according to former IDF officers, is to create a buffer zone in southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah away from the border. While official objectives remain vague, military activity suggests a two-tier approach: occupying territory south of the Litani River and establishing a surveillance-dominated zone to its north.

Miri Eisin, a former senior officer in the IDF combat intelligence corps, explained that "the buffer zone is to make sure that the Israeli communities up north are out of the direct line of fire of anti-tank missiles and anti-tank guided missiles... to push the physical line that they can fire from further north."

If Israel manages to push Hezbollah back from the Litani, it would then focus on the group's presence north of the river. Hezbollah is firing most of its rockets and drones toward Israel from north of the river, while its members on the south side are concentrating their efforts on fighting Israeli soldiers.

Israeli military experts warn that establishing a buffer zone in southern Lebanon would require a long-term occupation, which could revive popular support for Hezbollah. Currently, the group is domestically isolated and under pressure after dragging Lebanon into another war with Israel.

Yagil Levy, head of the Open University Institute for the Study of Civil-Military Relations in Israel, observed that "what is now unfolding is the renewed occupation of parts of southern Lebanon. But this time, [Israel] seizes territory and removes the population, thereby ensuring full freedom of action and reducing the risk of guerrilla operations emerging from villages."