Israel moves the largest division of its army from Gaza to the border with Lebanon

Israeli forces near the border with Lebanon (Getty)

Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy decided to transfer the 36th Armored Division from the Gaza Strip to the border with Lebanon, where the Israeli army is exchanging bombardments with the Lebanese Hezbollah.

Israeli Army Radio reported that discussions recently took place in the General Staff during which the Commander of the Southern Command, Major General Yaron Finkelman, called for the 36th Division, the largest regular division in the Israeli army, to remain in the central Gaza Strip with the aim of increasing military pressure on the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

But the head of the Operations Division, Major General Oded Basiuk, presented the necessity of removing the division from Gaza and moving it to the north, to replace the reserve forces so that they are ready for any scenario, according to the radio.

She added that the Chief of Staff ultimately decided to withdraw the 36th Division from Gaza and transfer it to the Lebanese border.

According to Anadolu Agency, the division consists of maneuver units (armor, infantry, and engineering corps), and includes the 188th Brigade, the 7th Brigade, the Golani Brigade, the Etzioni Brigade, and the Engineering Corps battalions.

Since late last December, the Israeli army has withdrawn from Gaza the 4th and 55th Reserve Brigades, the 7107th Combat Engineering Battalion, and the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade.

Mutual bombing

The decision of the Israeli Chief of Staff coincided with the continuation of the mutual bombardment between Hezbollah and Israel, as the party announced today that it had targeted “espionage equipment” at the Ruwaisat al-Alam site in the Kafr Shuba hills and the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms, and confirmed that a direct hit had been achieved.

On the other hand, the Lebanese News Agency reported that Israeli forces bombed a number of towns today in the western and central sectors, and artillery shelling targeted the surroundings of the towns of Kunine and Rishaf in the central sector, and the towns of Naqoura, Tair Harfa, Al-Dhahira, Marwahin, and Aita Al-Shaab in the western sector.

Since the start of its aggression against the Gaza Strip 3 months ago, the Israeli occupation army has continued its air and artillery escalation on towns and villages in southern Lebanon, resulting in deaths and injuries among civilians, and forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes.

Source: Agencies