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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryyrbpxygx#autoplay
IDF Operation in Lebanon Caught Hizbullah Off Guard
(Ynet News) Elisha Ben Kimon - After a 48-hour covert advance, IDF troops crossed the Litani River, fought Hizbullah at close range, and uncovered underground compounds stocked for a planned invasion of Israel. Lt.-Col. B., commander of the Golani Reconnaissance Unit, said, "We wanted to surprise them, and the only way was to advance at night, through the brush and in total darkness. During the day, we blended into the terrain, in 'holding areas.'" After the unit's lead forces identified the entrance to an underground infrastructure site, "an encounter developed. We understood the situation and deployed forces on both sides of the river. In effect, we trapped the terrorists inside....They came out each time from a different opening, fired and threw grenades" in a battle that lasted two hours. "It was face-to-face fighting, just meters from a fortified enemy." The troops encountered Hizbullah's explosive drones during the fighting, but the Lebanese brush actually worked in the soldiers' favor. "Their drones are less effective in the brush. They operate with fiber optics, and that fiber simply tears between the bushes and trees. That gave us an advantage." During the five days of clearing operations after the battle, inside underground compounds 10-15 meters deep, "we found everything there: food, water, ammunition, motorcycles and ATVs. It was a full preparation for a raid. Their intention was clear: to go up into our communities. Seeing that with your own eyes gives you an enormous sense of responsibility."