Hezbollah’s military drills prove movement getting stronger by the day: Analyst

By Ali Ghorban Bagheri

A Palestinian activist and lawyer says the recent military drills carried out by Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement prove the movement’s deterrent power is on the rise.

Saleh Abu Izzah, a prominent expert on West Asia affairs, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with the Press TV website on Saturday while elaborating on the main message sent to the Israeli regime through Hezbollah’s latest drills.

The movement launched large-scale military exercises in southern Lebanon last Sunday, showcasing its strength ahead of the 23rd anniversary of the liberation of that region from the Israeli occupation.

The drills, which were held at a resistance camp near the village of Mleeta in southern Lebanon, included several exercises simulating Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli outposts in any future battle.

The movement also displayed its combat capabilities, while its fighters paraded on all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles.

“The message sent by Hezbollah was accurate and unequivocal. I mean, it proved that it is powerful and ready,” the analyst said.

Abu Izzah added that Hezbollah showed through its drills that it is not only capable of deterring any Israeli aggression but can also liberate settlements and expand its scope of influence up to the al-Jalil region in the northernmost part of the Israeli-occupied territories.

He said Israel’s security and military forces as well as its politicians received Hezbollah’s message on three different levels.

“Firstly, they understood that Hezbollah is powerful and its power is not constant but is growing by the day. Meanwhile, the experiences that the movement has gained during the war in Syria have greatly increased the strength of its ground forces,” Abu Izzah said.

“Secondly, [the drills] proved that Israel is too weak to be able to cope with Hezbollah and the movement keeps threatening this regime with certain things that the regime’s officials cannot even think of.”

“[And] thirdly, the only step that Israel can take in the face of Hezbollah’s power is limited to media propaganda and bullying. But its threats will never materialize in reality and will not lead to any operation against Hezbollah on Lebanese soil,” the analyst emphasized.

He then touched on Netanyahu’s so-called judicial overhaul plan, which has been met with weekly protests for the past five months and has been also slammed by the Israeli prime minister’s opposition.

Abu Izzah said Netanyahu introduced the plan as the regime suffered a resounding defeat in its recent five-day war against the besieged Gaza Strip, which led to a victory for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other resistance groups.

The Palestinian resistance’s missile barrages against Israeli cities and settlements, in the operation that they nicknamed “The Revenge of the Free,” further proved Israel’s weakness vis-à-vis the resistance.

The analyst added that Netanyahu believes the judicial overhaul plan is a good means of inflaming the general atmosphere in Israel in order to bank on the increasing differences between supporters of his extremist coalition and the opposition.

Asked whether Netanyahu is able to engage all Palestinian resistance groups and transfer the crisis that is facing his cabinet to the outside of occupied territories, Abu Izzah said following the recent conflict with the Palestinian resistance groups, Netanyahu would not be able to do that.

“He [Netanyahu] could not protect Tel Aviv in the face of the Islamic Jihad’s missiles, how would he be able to enter into war with Iran or Hezbollah?” he said.

The analyst added that Netanyahu is possible to ratchet up the regime’s aggression against resistance fighters in the occupied West Bank and al-Quds, including through the construction of new settlements and military operations against the resistance, in order to change the status quo on the ground and win the support of Israeli settlers.

“However, starting a new war against the Gaza Strip and anywhere outside the [coastal] strip would be a futile and failed scenario,” Abu Izzah said.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir