IDF troops were amazed at the amount and quality of military, equipment and weapons they found mere meters away from the border town of Metulah and a kindergarten there.
Since the IDF began its offensive in southern Lebanon, the troops discovered the scope of the failure to prepare for the danger posed by Hezbollah's elite Radwan force that was preparing for an invasion of Israel along the about 130 km of border, close to civilian centers.
Troops operating in villages close to the border uncovered hundreds of weapons, wrapped and packed vehicles with which the terrorists planned to invade the Galilee to occupy bases and settlements as far south as Haifa.
IDF soldiers discover Hezbollah vehicles
The vehicles were filled with gas, armed with heavy machine guns, packed with combat uniforms, personal weapons, and medical supplies, and were ready to emerge from hiding places. The soldiers who operated in the northern part of Kfarkila found Hezbollah's weapons stores up a ridge that was hidden from view from the Israeli side. They located anti-tank missiles of various types and ranges, a bounty of ammunition for full-scale combat, machine guns of various types, and explosives.
"We found real headquarters to control and command what they planned with maps on the walls, computers, offices for briefing, and safes for their classified documents," the commander of the IDF force said. "Because it is a relatively large village, you can only see a part of it from the Israeli side. That's why we operated at its edge and the whole brigade took it apart. I saw the preparation that was going on for years by Radwan."
The battalion commander commented on the limited operation, emphasizing that the Air Force cannot locate such complex structures with aerial photographs and they can only be found by ground maneuvers. "Fighting in the Gaza Strip did not cause burnout and was an advantage," he said. "We are now much more experienced, even though we are fighting a different, more professional enemy in a different terrain."
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