BEIRUT, April 6. /TASS/. Israel is intensifying attacks on Beirut and its neighborhoods in response to Hezbollah’s operations, General Naji Malaeb, a leading Middle East military expert, told TASS.
"The Hezbollah Shiite militia's focus on inflicting maximum casualties on the occupying forces in southern Lebanon prompted a response from the Israeli command, which has intensified strikes on Beirut and expanded the geography of air attacks," he said.
According to the expert, Israel was prepared for guerrilla warfare by the resistance forces. "Elite units were involved in special operations on Lebanese territory from the very beginning, which was done to reduce potential losses. However, the Israeli forces were caught off guard by the mobile ambush tactics used by Hezbollah to exhaust the enemy," he noted, adding that the Shiite militias have managed to restore their military structure and combat capabilities in quite a short time after the November 2024 ceasefire.
"The losses during the first month of the war, from March 2 to April 2, which amounted to 10 killed and 200 wounded soldiers, are quite significant for an army like the Israeli army and confirm the effectiveness of the resistance fighters' attacks," he pointed out.
According to his forecast, the Israelis will carry out new incursions into Lebanese territory at various border sections in the near future, in an attempt to disperse the opposing forces. Apart from that, in his words, Israel will intensify attacks on civilian infrastructure throughout Lebanon in a bid to "force the government in Beirut to engage in a direct confrontation with Hezbollah."
"The destruction of the bridges over the Litani River, which has made it impossible for residents who had to move north to return to their homes, is just the beginning of a future catastrophe," the general emphasized.