(Flash90/David Cohen)
IDF near Lebanon border

The Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group might opt for a short 2 or 3 day campaign against Israel to seek gains, but avoid all-out war.

By Yakir Benzion, United With Israel

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Intelligence command recently warned that the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon has a “shock” unit, which it intends to deploy on Israel’s northern border.

The purpose of the special terrorist force is to fight a mini-conflict that would last only two to three days, while avoiding dragging Hezbollah into an all-out war.

The IDF warns that Hezbollah could use this tactic to claim a “victory” against Israel, while ending hostilities before Lebanon sustained much damage.

Hezbollah operates its militia and maintains some 160,000 rockets aimed at Israel inside civilian areas in Lebanon.

The Israeli military pointed to two recent incidents that reveal Hezbollah’s current tactics, which tested the readiness of IDF forces deployed in the north of the country on the Lebanese border.

Two apparently unarmed Lebanese men infiltrated an Israeli enclave across the border fence at the beginning of the week, but were chased off by IDF soldiers who followed standard procedure and fired warning shots in the air.

In one of the first incidents of its kind, last week Hezbollah terrorists fired a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli drone that was flying over southern Lebanon.

The missile missed its target and failed to shoot down the aircraft.

Despite the provocation and seriousness of the incident, the IDF did not respond immediately.

Armed, funded and trained by Iran, Hezbollah is also terrorizing Lebanon, where last week Lokman Slim, a prominent opponent of the terror group, was found assassinated in his car. While Hezbollah denied any involvement in the murder, Slim was known for his documentaries about Hezbollah’s intimidation tactics and attempts to monopolize Lebanese politics.

Hezbollah and Iran continue to thumb their nose at UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which was passed in 2006 following the war the terror group started with Israel that year. The resolution calls for all armed groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, to disarm and demands that only the Lebanese Armed Forces be deployed around the country to assert sovereignty.

Hezbollah refuses to abide by the resolution and maintains a private army of several thousand heavily armed terrorists who have also fought in Syria to help save Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad from being deposed.