The military affairs correspondent for the Israel Hayom newspaper, Lilach Shoval, shed light on what she described as the “Lebanese impasse,” in light of the continuation of Hezbollah’s attacks with swooping helicopters against Israeli forces, in exchange for the absence of an “adequate defensive solution” by the Israeli army.
Shoval said that the violent exchange of fire in southern Lebanon is still continuing, considering that the Israeli army “operates with its hands tied behind its back” due to its activity being restricted within the so-called “yellow line.”
It quoted Israeli soldiers in the north as talking about a “feeling of helplessness” when they spotted the small hovering planes above them suddenly and without any prior warning.
She added that the defensive solutions currently provided by the Israeli army “do not succeed, even minimally, in providing an adequate response,” while “Hezbollah continues to inflict a very high price on the army forces.”
Shoval considered that the Israeli army’s operations “did not affect the battle, nor the motivation of Hezbollah members to continue the clash, nor their ability to do so.”
She also indicated that a number of Israeli soldiers were injured in recent days as a result of attacks with helicopters, explaining that during the last week alone, 9 soldiers were injured in incidents in the north, 3 of whom were transferred for treatment and are in serious condition.
In the same context, she pointed out that the continuation of the battle in the north and the absence of solutions for the settlers “increases fears that many of them will leave the region or will not return to it.”
“The north is burning,” she said, noting that while Israel has “returned to normal life,” rockets and drones are still part of daily life for residents of frontline settlements.
She concluded by saying that “the north is collapsing under a feeling of abandonment,” and that business owners are “struggling to survive,” while settlers live in “a state of uncertainty,” and children are growing up “in a reality of fear,” amid a growing feeling that the government has “abandoned them.”
In parallel, the Israeli media spoke about the escalation of anxiety over the launching of drones, as the Israeli “i24” channel described these attacks as “the Israeli nightmare,” indicating a growing state of confusion and anxiety within Israel due to “Hezbollah” operations.
This comes at a time when northern occupied Palestine is experiencing a state of widespread paralysis, with schools suspended, bus traffic suspended, and shops closed, due to military operations and ongoing attacks targeting Israeli settlements and military sites.
