Beirut- The number of Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon is increasing daily rather than decreasing over time, Israeli media reported on Monday.
An analysis by Seth Frantzman published in the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post pointed out that, after a month into war with Lebanon, the Israeli operation has begun to “take toll”, Al-Mayadeen News reported Monday.
The strikes Israel conducted to supposedly weaken Hezbollah’s command and control have failed to meet their objectives, as the Lebanese group’s leadership remains intact and capable of continuing its deadly operations, Frantzman indicated.
Despite the fact that the assassination of Hezbollah commanders and Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “should have weakened the group’s command and control,” the Gaza war has revealed that such movements “are capable of replacing commanders even as they suffer blows,” according to Frantzman.
“Hezbollah continues to fight on,” the writer stressed.
“The challenge in southern Lebanon is that while Hezbollah has suffered blows to its command and control, the group appears to be clinging on and it is capable of continued deadly operations.”
He said that although the goal behind Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon was to return 60,000 Israelis to northern settlements, “However, in a month of war, the rocket fire continues to average around 100-200 rockets fired by Hezbollah a day.”
The report highlighted that fighting on two fronts — Gaza and Lebanon — along with Hezbollah’s ongoing rocket launches demonstrates that despite some Israeli “successes”, these do not necessarily reduce losses on the front lines or bring about a swift defeat of these groups.
Frantzman also noted that Hezbollah has started releasing statements listing specific locations it intends to target, signaling that the Lebanese group units carrying out rocket attacks are able to supply central command with intelligence.
After approximately 27 days of ground combat with Hezbollah and over a month of intense Israeli operations against Lebanon, Israel still has a long way to go to “defeat Hezbollah”, the analysis suggested.
The Israeli website Srugim reported that 8,504 wounded Israeli troops have been added to the Rehabilitation Division at the Ministry of Security since October 7, 2023.
About 1,550 wounded soldiers are added to the division each month, representing a 150% increase, according to the website.
The Israeli occupation Security Ministry had previously admitted to the killing of 890 soldiers, officers, police, and security personnel since October 7, 2023.
Since the last update on October 15 until October 27, hospitals across the Israeli occupation have admitted a total of 1,110 injured individuals, according to the Israeli Ministry of Health.
Of these, 784 injuries were recorded in the north; meanwhile, in the last 24 hours, hospitals in the north received an additional 104 cases.
Israeli media reported that 23 Israeli soldiers were killed in the past week as of October 27; 16 of whom were killed in South Lebanon, five in the Gaza Strip, one on the Lebanese border, and one on the border with Gaza.
However, the Palestinian and Lebanese Resistance factions have repeatedly pointed out that the toll is much higher, as “Israel” continues to conceal its heavy losses amid strict media censorship.
Sinking into Gaza, Lebanon quagmire
In a related context, former Head of the Security and Political Bureau at the Israeli Ministry of Security, Major General (Ret.) Amos Gilad, stated that a political solution with the United States must be initiated to put an end to what is happening.
This is the responsibility of the Israeli leadership, as Prime Minister Netanyahu is not discussing or making any decisions in this regard, Gilad emphasized.
He underlined that such a settlement is essential “due to the rising number of our casualties,” warning that without a resolution, “we will sink into the quagmire of Lebanon and Gaza.”
Israeli Cabinet Meets in Secret Location
After Iran said it would respond to Israel’s Saturday strikes in a corresponding fashion, the Israeli government moved its regular meeting to an undisclosed secret bunker, Bloomberg news reported on Monday.
Israeli officials said that, for security reasons, the cabinet wouldn’t meet at its usual place in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem or in an occasionally used secure part of the defense ministry in Tel Aviv. The actual location is being kept under wraps.
Iran said it would respond to Israel’s assault on missile and air defense systems in an appropriate fashion, without being more specific.
Israel isn’t ruling out a retaliation soon, despite initial impressions that Tehran was seeking to downplay Saturday’s attack as unworthy of a response. Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said in the aftermath his country would “answer stupidity with wisdom and strategy.”
The measured element of the attack helped to calm markets, with oil tumbling around 6% at the start of the week and the Israeli shekel performing better than any other currency in the world.
But an Israeli defense official told Bloomberg the government is increasingly concerned Iran will strike a third time, possibly again using ballistic missiles.
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