IDF commanders reveal details of months inside Lebanon

After eight months of fighting in Lebanon, commanders of the IDF's 7th Brigade Combat Team have described the battles fought deep inside enemy territory, the challenges of advancing toward the Litani River and Beaufort ridge, and the extensive Hezbollah underground infrastructure discovered and destroyed along the way. The operation began with a phone call on a Saturday in late February. After an extended period of fighting in the Gaza Strip, the brigade's soldiers had returned to routine training when they received orders to prepare for deployment to the northern front.

Within days, preparations were complete. On March 8, the forces crossed into Lebanon and launched an assault on the Rab al-Thalathine area. The combat team brought together the 75th Armored Battalion, the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion and the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion. Their experience operating together in Gaza proved crucial to the campaign. The initial assault was carried out in difficult weather conditions, with heavy mud restricting vehicle movements and Hezbollah posing anti-tank threats from surrounding positions.

Despite the obstacles, the forces successfully captured their objective. The ommander of the 13th Battalion, recouted that the infantry and armored forces had developed a close working relationship. "The 13th and 75th battalions already know each other extremely well. We fought together in Gaza, and when we launch an assault, I know exactly who is behind me and what they can do." The forces subsequently advanced toward Qantara, a village approximately eight kilometers from the Israeli border.

Surrounded by elevated terrain, the area offered Hezbollah observation and firing positions overlooking the approaching troops. The advance exposed the soldiers to anti-tank missiles, mortar fire and explosive drones. To minimize the tanks' exposure to enemy fire, the 13th Battalion commander decided to send infantry troops forward on foot to secure the route. During a nighttime advance, the soldiers came under mortar attack, leaving four wounded.

Despite the casualties, the battalion continued its mission while providing medical treatment, seeking to clear the way for the armored forces before daylight. "I knew that if we failed to open the route for them in time, the 75th Battalion would have to enter in daylight, with its troops exposed to anti-tank fire, and that was out of the question," the battalion commander said. Following the capture of Qantara, the forces uncovered an extensive underground Hezbollah network beneath the village.

The infrastructure included interconnected corridors, living quarters, kitchens, toilets and electrical systems, allowing Hezbollah operatives to remain underground for extended periods. The first network discovered stretched hundreds of meters. A subsequent discovery revealed another underground complex extending nearly two kilometers, with enough space to accommodate hundreds of operatives. The commander of the 75th Battalion, described the scale of the discovery.

"These are not tunnels where you go in and find one or two rooms. This is enormous infrastructure, capable of accommodating hundreds of operatives. When you see it, you understand how many resources the enemy invested in this area." Destroying the underground complexes required extensive preparation and the transportation of large quantities of explosives into the tunnels. Engineering troops worked through long nights to prepare the networks for demolition.

The commander of the 603rd Combat Engineering Battalion, said that despite years of experience destroying tunnels in Gaza, the infrastructure uncovered in Lebanon was particularly striking. "I have been working in underground warfare for years, and I have seen quite a few tunnels in Gaza. What we found in Qantara was on another level, both in terms of the size and complexity of the network and in terms of the conditions in which we had to work to destroy it."

He noted that Lebanon's rocky terrain made the demolition process especially challenging and required substantially larger quantities of explosives. Alongside the destruction of Hezbollah's underground infrastructure, combat engineers spent months preparing routes for the continued advance toward the Litani River, the Yohmor ridge and the Beaufort area. Their work included clearing obstacles, locating and neutralizing explosive devices and mines, and opening passages through difficult mountainous terrain to enable tanks and infantry forces to move forward.

Meanwhile, the 13th Battalion continued its advance through Taybeh toward the Saluki River, an area with particular historical significance for Golani troops. The soldiers crossed the river on foot before launching a nighttime raid toward Ghandouriyeh. "We grew up on stories of the battles fought there, and for us, reaching this area with today's soldiers was deeply meaningful," the battalion commander said. Armored forces also continued pushing north toward the Litani River and the Yohmor ridge, navigating steep mountain routes while facing anti-tank threats.

In addition to the 75th Battalion, the 77th and 82nd Armored Battalions participated in the campaign under other combat teams, destroying Hezbollah infrastructure in additional areas. Reflecting on the eight-month campaign, the three commanders highlighted the importance of the cooperation developed between infantry, armored and engineering units before entering Lebanon. The commander of the 75th Battalion said the forces had accomplished far more than they initially expected.

"I look at how far we have come," he said. "From our first entry into Rab al-Thalathine, through Qantara, to the places we reached later. At the outset, there were many things we did not know we would be able to accomplish this way, and in the end, we did that and then some." He emphasized that the combination of infantry, armored and engineering capabilities had enabled the IDF to advance deep into Lebanese territory and destroy Hezbollah infrastructure that had been developed over many years.