Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper confirmed today, Thursday, that the Israeli occupation army aims, through its war on Hezbollah in Lebanon, to reach political arrangements based on UN Resolution 1701, but through continuing and escalating military pressure in the southern Lebanon region and intensive bombing of Beirut.

This came in a report by the newspaper's military analyst Ron Ben Yishai, who accompanies the occupation forces in southern Lebanon, in which he spoke about Israel's goals in its war on Lebanon, and also focused on the difficulties faced by reserve soldiers through their long service in the war on Gaza and Lebanon.

The importance of this report lies in the fact that it comes after the controversial statement made yesterday by the new Israeli Defense Minister, Yisrael Katz, in which he said that Israel will not stop the war on Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed.

Failure of goals softens demands

Ben Yishai says in the introduction to his report that the Israeli army is working in Lebanon to achieve three main goals: “The first goal is to increase military pressure to force Hezbollah and Lebanon to accept a security arrangement similar to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and even more stringent.”

The political analyst pointed out that "the additional advantage of this arrangement will be the ability of the Israeli army to impose security by force in the event that the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces fail to perform their role."

He also says that Hezbollah is trying to obstruct this goal by waging a “war of attrition” against the Israeli home front, which he sees as a way for the party to pressure the Lebanese government not to make concessions in the negotiations, especially with regard to imposing a weapons-free zone in southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, which is the second goal that the Israeli army is trying to achieve from this war.

Ben-Yishai claimed that Israel "destroyed about 80% of Hezbollah's missile arsenal," but he added that "Hezbollah still has enough weapons to send millions of Israelis into shelters on a daily basis, which is a drain on Israel's strength, and may soften its demands in the ongoing negotiations mediated by the United States through envoy Amos Hochstein, and foil Israel's efforts to achieve the third goal, which is to ensure the return of Israelis to the north."

In the context of the ongoing military operations, the Israeli analyst says that the Israeli forces "are suffering heavy human losses, especially in the intensive ground battles inside the Lebanese villages," where he revealed that "Hezbollah prepared well on the second line of villages, where it fortified its forces there after observing the army's methods, which led to the deaths and injuries of many Israeli soldiers in the recent battles."

In this context, he refers to the battle that took place inside a Lebanese village, where Hezbollah fighters ambushed Golani Brigade soldiers, killing 6 of them and wounding others. However, at the same time, he says, “The Israeli army hopes that its continued advance will reduce the number of short-range missile attacks towards northern Israel.”

According to the report, the occupation army "is making a great effort to destroy villages that are essential" to Hezbollah, by imposing a heavy price on them, as these military operations have expanded to include intensive aerial bombardment targeting areas important to the Shiite community in the southern suburbs and Beirut.

He added, "The Israeli army began moving its forces from the border villages to the second line of Lebanese villages, to send a message to the Shiite community that the war of attrition led by Hezbollah will cost them a heavy political and physical price."

Ben-Yishai points out that the army is now focusing on destroying short-range missile launchers, which he estimates will lead to a decline in the pace of attacks on northern Israel in the coming days. He also claims that the army's capabilities have improved in confronting the drones used by Hezbollah, noting that the interception rate has recently reached about 90%.

Reserve soldiers morale

In addition to the challenges on the ground, the IDF faces another challenge: maintaining the morale of reserve soldiers who bear the brunt of the ground fighting in southern Lebanon. Ben-Yishai believes that “this challenge is clearly evident due to the length of service and the psychological pressure it puts on soldiers and their families, especially with the ongoing military operations on multiple fronts.”

He noted that many of the reservists he met expressed their desire to "complete the tasks" they were assigned, but they suffer from problems related to the length of service and family pressures, especially on women who bear additional responsibilities in the absence of their husbands.

The economic situation of some of them is also deteriorating, as Battalion Commander Sharon Zeilinger said, "I used to work as a lawyer, but since I was called up for reserve duty, I no longer work in my profession."

To alleviate these pressures, the IDF is planning to launch a new plan called the “2025 Employment Chart,” in which it will attempt to achieve some stability among reserve soldiers, by setting the duration of reserve service for a fixed period each year for a specific number of days.

The report highlights that the occupation army faces a complex challenge on the Lebanese and Gaza fronts, as it continues to seek to achieve its military and political goals in Lebanon through intensive means of pressure, while facing major challenges in maintaining the morale of reserve soldiers, in light of the lack of clarity on whether Iran will take a direct hostile stance against Israel.

Ben Yishai concludes his report by emphasizing that "the biggest challenge for the Israeli army is in confronting Hezbollah, which is showing fierce resistance, while attempts continue to reach a comprehensive ceasefire that could put an end to these long military operations and achieve the security arrangement that Israel seeks from a position of strength."