Israel withdraws troops from Lebanon

Jerusalem Post:

IDF ground forces operating in the southern Lebanon villages of Bint Jbail and Maround al-Ras pulled back on Saturday, and the IAF was striking Hizbullah targets in Bint Jbail.

An IDF official said Saturday that the army had never intended to take over Bint Jbail, and that the operations there were designed to strike at Hizbullah capabilities. This goal, he said, was "fully realized."

Earlier Saturday, the army confirmed that seven soldiers were wounded in Friday's fighting in Bint Jbail. One of the soldiers was wounded seriously, while the other six were in light to moderate condition.

IDF forces killed at least 50 Hizbullah operatives and wounded hundreds on Friday during the intense firefight. Most of the wounded operatives were from Hizbullah's special forces and had come to the village to shore up the regular Hizbullah guerrillas there.

Soldiers operating in the village found and confiscated dozens of guns and rifles, stocks of ammunition, grenades, mines, and five anti-tank missiles.

...

Israel's strategy appears very muddled at this point. It appears that Israel will continue to destroy Lebanon infrastructure and target missiles and Hezballah leadership almost exclusively with its air force. This pounding can degrade the Hezballah threat, but cannot eliminate it. It can drive up the cost of reconstruction for Iran and the Arab allies who want to rebuild Lebanon, which presumably will divert some funds that might otherwise have gone for rearmament. While this is a form of attrition warfare, it is not a strategy for victory. It appears that the destruction of Hezballah will be put off for another day.

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