Hezbollah capable of invading Israel, says Israeli official

A future war with Lebanon's Hezbollah could see the Shiite militant group cross the border in strength and seize Israeli territory, a senior officer said in comments widely reported by Israeli media Monday.

The Jerusalem Post quoted the unidentified officer as saying that Hezbollah had learnt much about ground tactics from Syria, where it has fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the three-and-a-half-year-old civil war.

"Hezbollah's confidence is growing, along with its combat experience in Syria," it quoted the officer as saying.

"The battlegrounds of Syria have enabled Hezbollah to upgrade its capabilities. Hezbollah plans to send many combatants into Israeli territory near the border and seize it."

Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating war in 2006, which killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and some 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Since then the border has remained largely quiet, but in February Israeli warplanes attacked targets inside Lebanon for the first reported time since the 2006 conflict and Hezbollah vowed revenge.

Monday's reports, based on a briefing to Israeli defence correspondents, said that although another confrontation did not appear imminent, it was inevitable sooner or later.

Army spokesman Major Arye Shalicar told AFP that the military was prepared for any threat from Hezbollah.

"We are ready for any challenge. We are observing... what's going on," he said. "We are ready and it's not worth it for them, it's not worth them even trying it."

Shalicar said that since 2006 the Shiite movement had reestablished itself in the frontier region.

"In more than 200 villages in south Lebanon, they've built up a lot of strength, with all kinds of weapons, all kinds of missiles of varying range," he said.

"All of their money is flowing in various directions to an offensive capability which, among other things, includes about 100,000 rockets of various types, most of them from Iran and Syria.

"You don't get yourself 100,000 rockets for nothing. It would seem there's a reason behind it and it's certainly not for the good of the people."

The military spokesman's office on Monday distributed photos that it said showed Hezbollah fighters walking in plain sight near the border with Israel.

Hezbollah in Syria

In spite of the officer's assertions, Hezbollah has re-emphasised the primacy of remaining involved in the Syria conflict, so as to defeat the Islamic State.

“There could never be a war of words between ISIS and us, but there is the field where we will defeat them. We will not engage in a war of statements or political disputes,” Hezbollah official Nabil Qaouk said to the Daily Star.

“Day after day, it is becoming clear to Lebanon, the Arab, Muslim and international communities that there is a great need for Hezbollah to remain in Syria. The current situation today imposes on Hezbollah to stay in Syria more than any other time.”

He warned that the onslaught of IS and the Al-Nusra Front in the border regions necessitated the focus on Syria.

“This battle demands a change in national priorities.”

Arsal saw a fierce battle in August pitting the Lebanese army against militants from Al-Nusra Front and IS.

The fighting killed 20 Lebanese troops, 16 civilians and dozens of militants, who withdrew to the Qalamoun mountains across the border, capturing dozens of Lebanese troops and policemen.

Two of the captured troops have since been beheaded, despite attempts mediated through Qatar to solve the hostage crisis.