Hamas and Hezbollah agreed to carry out a "comprehensive ground invasion" into Israel following the "Guardian of the Walls" operation in 2021, after discovering in that clash "gaps in Israeli security" that would enable terrorists to infiltrate from the north and south, conducting ground attacks along with rocket fire, sources in Hamas told the Saudi network Asharq on Monday.
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The sources claimed that, despite the preparedness of both terror organizations for the planned invasion, Hezbollah was surprised by the timing of Hamas' attack on October 7. Faced with military support from the U.S. and fearing destruction, Hezbollah "opted to participate only symbolically in the war."
The Hamas sources described that within the framework of the planned invasion the terror organizations were supposed "to disrupt the activities of the IDF and state institutions," with the goal being "to force Israel to withdraw from the West Bank to the 1967 borders, including East Jerusalem." According to their accounts, Hamas terrorists were supposed to infiltrate into Israel from the south, Hezbollah terrorists from the north, and support forces from Syria, accompanied by Hezbollah strikes on sensitive sites in Israel, including power and water stations and airfields, using precision missiles."
As reported, Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists began preparing for this comprehensive invasion, but when Hezbollah was surprised by the timing of Hamas' sudden attack on October 7, it chose to wait and see the Western response to such an unexpected terror attack.
According to the sources, when Hezbollah realized that the U.S. had moved additional aircraft carriers and combat ships to the region, "they preferred to avoid destruction and decided to participate in the war symbolically." Therefore, they claimed that since October 7 the Lebanese terror organization has been engaging Israeli forces through limited clashes in southern Lebanon.