While the war with Iran rages on, as U.S.-Israel coalition forces weaken the regime’s military capabilities, Israelis are still suffering from a barrage of missiles, although the number of projectiles coming into the land are less. IDF interceptors are successfully shooting down most of the missiles, but Iranian payloads are now more lethal in scope.

Iran is launching ballistic missiles carrying cluster warheads, which release submunitions, each containing explosives, similar to what Iran did after the first few days of war with Israel in June 2025. These loaded missiles are meant to increase civilian deaths and injuries, resulting in wider destruction to the Israeli home front. Iran brags of future plans to launch a much heavier and larger missile, while coalition forces race against time to try and destroy all the regime’s missile launchers, which would make that regime promise hard to fulfill.

Israel’s secondary front is with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which includes Iran’s coordination with Hezbollah forces, in bringing Israel’s northern border into the front-line combat zone.

U.S.-Israel coalition forces are flying thousands of sorties over Iran, while Israel battles Hezbollah’s attacks on its vulnerable northern population. Israeli leaders were prepared for this scenario, hoping that the Lebanese government would crackdown on Hezbollah, but, as in the past, Israel is disappointed in Lebanese leaders who are not fully taking the necessary actions to stop Hezbollah’s aggressions – not only on the Israeli home front, but also within the Lebanese population, itself. For example, some Lebanese citizens are concerned that Hezbollah leaders, looking to escape IDF attacks, are trying to disguise themselves, hiding within villages that have no interest in serving Hezbollah… like areas where Lebanese Christians live. They fear being in the crossfires of this current conflict.

IDF forces entered Lebanon on the first day of this current war, creating a buffer area very close to the Israeli border. This was done to enforce five posts that the IDF held after the previous war with Hezbollah. Then, as the terrorist army began to increase its tactics, the IDF took over another twenty posts, recently, in order to keep Hezbollah forces from being able to hurt Israel’s northern communities, and the Israeli soldiers that protect them.

Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi is the founder and president of Alma, an independent research and education center, which specializes in Israel’s security challenges.  Zehavi lives only nine kilometers from the Lebanese border. She recently spoke to this writer, and briefed others, regarding the major issues the IDF has been facing in Lebanon. She shared IDF strategies.

“The idea was to create a sequence of an IDF presence all along the border line because the five posts were definitely not enough, in a border of more than 100 kilometers in length,” Zehavi described, showing maps created by Alma.

Zehavi says that the question at stake now is whether the IDF will expand its presence further into Lebanon from these current border positions, which she thinks may extend up to 10 kilometers or more. Zehavi notes that the Litani River is more than 25 kilometers in some places, from the Israeli border. Israel has been insisting that the south Lebanese population move north of the Litani River, so that the IDF can take the action needed in south Lebanon to stop Hezbollah from shooting at Israel.

The Radwan Brigades, a special operations unit of Hezbollah, with a mission to infiltrate Israeli territory, have now moved into south Lebanon, and are not adhering to the agreed upon ceasefire demands between Israel and Lebanon. The brigades are positioning themselves about 7-10 kilometers from the Israeli border, in a way that is daily threatening Israeli soldiers in Lebanon, and on the border line. According to Zehavi, they are launching anti-tank missiles against Israeli soldiers, killing and wounding them.  Zehavi explains, “The understanding is that if they are capable of targeting Israeli soldiers in those areas, they are also capable of targeting the Israeli communities, and that is why everybody is saying we should do more.”

A current report by i24 News in Israel claims Hezbollah is engaging in guerrilla warfare.  Zehavi agrees and reports that the Radwan Brigades in the north of Lebanon have been trained to go south with independent cells, while their field commanders can take a squad and launch shoulder missiles (RPG’s) at Israeli soldiers and tanks. Also, their objective is to try and infiltrate Israeli communities.  Zehavi thinks that further IDF action will be necessary.  “These are scenarios that are totally on the table, and this is what the IDF is now discussing of how to prevent this; how to push them back.”

Zehavi recently spoke to residents in northern communities in Israel; those who have not evacuated during this current war. “They are strong. They are with a lot of hope. They want to see the job done. They want to see a different reality being created.”

A decision was made and these Israelis agreed that they should stay in their northern communities and not evacuate this time (as they were directed to do in the fight with Hezbollah, previously). In Zehavi’s estimation, this is a great challenge. “It’s a challenge to get to the bomb shelter in 15 seconds. You understand that it is impossible. It’s a challenge to live like that, with sirens 10 times a day, like they are experiencing in Kiryat Shmona.”

Yet, Israelis have acknowledged that if the IDF had not become a standing force on the border line with Lebanon, then Hezbollah would soon be there, most likely, with anti-tank missiles. “Anti-tank missiles cannot be intercepted by the Iron Dome. We don’t have sirens when these are launched, and we don’t have any defensive answer for this,” says Zehavi.

This is why the IDF put a standing force on the border when this war started, in order to create a buffer zone that would not allow Hezbollah to come closer.

Israelis living in border communities have concluded that their presence is contributing to the defense of the state of Israel, and to the protection of its home front, by holding their community positions and not evacuating. It is an act of great courage, endurance, and resilience on the part of these determined Israeli citizens.

For years, the expectation among Israeli officials has been that the Lebanese government would disarm Hezbollah in the south. Zehavi reiterates, “They stated they would disarm Hezbollah in those areas. Clearly it didn’t happen.”

The weapons that are currently being launched at Israel are being launched from areas south of the Litani River, not north of the Litani River, despite those in the international community that think the Lebanese government has taken full measures to stop Hezbollah.

Unfortunately, Hezbollah is still committed to being a proxy of Iran in Lebanon.  Zehavi sees it as part of the identity of Hezbollah. When the current war started, the IDF believed that Hezbollah would join forces with Iran.  “The working assumption of Hezbollah is that they would have to join in, even with all the prices they are now paying,” Zehavi claims. She explains further: “They are a highly religiously motivated group, and they believe that they should fight until their last soldier for the cause.”

Hezbollah’s cause is identical to that of Iran — the expansion of the Islamic Republic and its values, across the Middle East. “One of those values is the destruction of the state of Israel,” Zehavi declares.

The current conflict in Lebanon is also determining the future identity of the state of Lebanon. Zehavi hopes that the Lebanese government will eventually make the right choice to fully crackdown on Hezbollah. She explains that Lebanese leaders are still refusing to disarm Hezbollah because they are afraid of a civil war. Civil wars have divided Lebanon before, and its leaders clearly want to avoid it happening again. Also, the Lebanese army is weak and remains infiltrated by Hezbollah.

The aim of the IDF’s current military operations inside Lebanon has been to protect Lebanese citizens while eliminating dangerous Hezbollah operatives. This has meant not only instructing south Lebanese citizens to move north of the Litani River, but also instructing Lebanese citizens in Beirut to move away from buildings in a suburb called Dahiyeh. The IDF has now struck terrorist cells and their infrastructure in these buildings, which have been command centers used by Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

Currently, Israel is concerned that this war will become a War of Attrition, an aim of Iran and Hezbollah, attempting to weaken Israel’s defenses over a longer period of time. Iran hopes that the United States and Gulf countries will grow weary and end their campaign against Iran, early on. Israelis are willing to wait out the military campaign, even if it goes on for a month or longer. However, Israelis are also desiring to go back to a normal routine, which is still restricted in this current State of Emergency determined by the Israeli government (with the purpose of keeping Israelis safe).

Israel’s goal is to stop Hezbollah from firing on Israel, strategically weakening this terrorist army in Lebanon. Israel will continue to encourage efforts by the Lebanese government and its citizens to confront Hezbollah, as well as to stop Iranian operatives that are trying to enter Lebanon.

According to Zehavi, when it comes to fighting Israel’s enemies on its northern border, “If the campaign against Iran should end without regime change, it will empower Hezbollah. But, regime change in Iran will help us.”

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)