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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/bkbuog04ml
IDF Engineers Recount Dramatic Litani River Crossing in Lebanon
(Ynet News) Elisha Ben Kimon - Huge rocks, sharp boulders, and dense green vegetation cover the mountain slopes and riverbanks of the Litani River in southern Lebanon. Crossing the Litani was one of the most complex and dangerous operations of the recent campaign against Hizbullah. Several months before the IDF ultimately crossed, troops attempted to pass through the area but were hit by a deadly ambush. Two months later, troops came with the lessons of that failed attempt and a carefully developed tactical plan. "The entire area was fully controlled from the hills above, with observation posts, explosives, drones and high-trajectory fire. Going in there was a classic ambush," said Lt.-Col. R., 37, commander of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion. R. rejected the notion that the troops were defenseless against Hizbullah's explosive drones. "The explosive-drone threat is challenging and problematic...but we are absolutely not sitting ducks. We develop solutions. We are not the hunted. We are the ones hunting Hizbullah and its infrastructure without stopping."