Subject to developments in Gaza. The South Lebanon front between occupancy or ignition

BEIRUT – The Palestinian factions in Lebanon did not delay in quickly engaging in the battle of "Al-Aqsa Flood" in translation of the slogan raised by the forces of the "axis of resistance" of unity of squares and fronts in any confrontation with the Israeli occupation.

Despite the involvement of Palestinian factions, especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in these military operations, whether by infiltrating behind the occupation lines and clashing directly with it, attacking its military positions on the border, or bombing settlements in the Upper Galilee, the southern front has not yet opened wide, as observers believe, and is still limited to the rules of engagement followed since the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2006.

In the context of this confrontation, the pace of military operations initiated by Hezbollah on Sunday, the eighth of October, one day after the battle of "Al-Aqsa flood" in Gaza, increased in number and heat every day until it reached on Friday - two weeks later - to 12 attacks per day, which indicates the transformation of the southern front into a battlefield open to all possibilities.

Israel bombs many sites in southern Lebanon (Al Jazeera)

Observers expect that the South Lebanon Front will enter into an open confrontation in connection with 3 developments in the Gaza battle, namely:

• If the aggression is prolonged, the possibility of opening other fronts linked to the axis of resistance, whether in Yemen, Iraq, Syria or Lebanon, increases.
• If the Israeli occupation army carried out the ground invasion of Gaza, the occupation was keen to call its military operation a "ground maneuver", in order to maneuver in progress and retreat and prevent escalation on the southern Lebanon front.
• If the occupation commits new massacres, especially against children and women.

Lebanese military expert Naji Malaeb believes that southern Lebanon is waiting for any of the three developments, pointing out that if it were not for the threat and the US military build-up in the region and the Middle East and the introduction of the aircraft carrier, the situation in the region would have exploded completely.

He adds stadiums – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – "We are not in front of Israeli aggression known plans, but in front of the act and reaction, and if not for the rescue of America to Israel diplomatic and military presence and exert pressure on Lebanon and the axis supported by Iran to explode the situation in northern occupied Palestine and coalesced with the southern front in Gaza. "

Appropriate intervention

The Lebanese military expert said that if we drop the current assessment on the southern front, as happened in the previous Israeli aggression against the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza, where its military leaders were targeted without the intervention of Hezbollah, the Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said last June, "We did not intervene because the Brotherhood did not ask for it, and if they request, we conduct the evaluation to find out the appropriate intervention."

Malaeb expressed his belief that after the systematic destruction, massive retaliation and collective punishment, and with the ground offensive, the level of intervention by Hezbollah will rise if the Palestinians request it.

Malaeb noted the party's tactic in allowing the Palestinian gun to intervene militarily from southern Lebanon, saying that "the goal is to distract the Israeli focus and relieve pressure on Gaza," and that "its high pace depends on the possible ground intervention in Gaza and not the expected one."

In Malaeb's opinion, if the response is absorbed and endured by the Palestinian resistance factions, there will be no need for Hezbollah to intervene and open the southern front to become an open war.

Green Light

The entry of the Palestinian factions on the southern front line highlighted their presence in Lebanese areas and their limited military capabilities, as the facts clearly indicate that they do not have any overt presence, camps, infrastructure or trenches, but rather place rockets on mobile platforms, launch them and then withdraw from them, or by sending a group of fighters to clash with the occupation army, which responds to the sources of fire.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad do not have any overt military presence inside the camps and are limited to political representation and to providing medical and relief services through civil and civil institutions, while their presence is observed in the ambulance and scout teams.

Thus, observers believe that the weapons are limited and are almost confined to individual rifles or medium machine guns (Diktryov and Bekasi) in the event of engagement or infiltration, or in "Grad" missiles in the case of remote rocket launches.

Ayman Shana'a, Hamas' political relations official in Lebanon, predicted that the southern front will remain hot and move to the stage of greater or broader escalation in the coming days.

Shana added to Al Jazeera Net, "In fact, no one has the exact data of the developments of things, but I believe that if necessary and got a major ground battle and above the expected and exceeded the limits, all possibilities are contained."

"Hamas' operations from the south are a double message; the first to affirm support for Gaza and its people and its resistance, and the second to Israel "that we will not stand idly by in the context of the battle of the Al-Aqsa flood and the equation of unity of arenas and fronts," Shana said.

Advising

On the ground, Hamas provided four Qassam Brigades fighters as martyrs, while three fighters from the al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Jihad, were martyred.

It is no secret that the two sides operate under the wing of Hezbollah, obtaining advice and facilitating field implementation, given the party's long experience in the areas and map of military sites and observation points.

Ihsan Ataya, a representative of the Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, confirmed that coordination with Hizbullah is based on a joint operations room, which is in constant contact and cooperation in Lebanon and with Gaza, and is aware of the details of matters.

In his opinion, the opening of the southern front depends on the developments of the Israeli aggression in Gaza, adding, "We are in a state of full alert and ready for all developments and how to deal with them."

According to information obtained by Al Jazeera Net, some Palestinian factions are preparing to enter the front line, as Hamas and Islamic Jihad did, confirming that the battle is with all the Palestinian spectrum and its political and military forces, not only with the Islamic factions, which may give additional heat to the southern front.