Israel Prepares The Ground of Southern Lebanon With “Shaping Operation”

by CrownHeights.info

After more than a year of focus on the Gaza war, the Israeli military has now set its sights on southern Lebanon, launching a series of devastating blows to Hezbollah and beginning “Shaping Operations” on the ground.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, in a message this morning, stated that, “Since this morning (Monday), the IDF has conducted proactive and extensive aerial strikes against Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon. Thus far, the IAF has carried out strikes based on precise intelligence on approximately 800 Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon and in the area of Beqaa deep inside Lebanese territory. Among the targets struck were buildings where Hezbollah hid rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure.”

Social media has been flooded with videos and reports of precise strikes impacting heavily populated, and less heavily populated areas of Lebanon. Nearly every strike, targeting Hezbollah weapons caches and rocket storage sites, has been followed by “secondary explosions”, a telltale sign that the Israeli strike detonated other explosive, materials at the sites, namely rockets and military armaments.

These forms of heavy bombardments are termed “shaping operations” in military terminology, as they are preparing the ground and eliminating the enemy’s prepared defenses. These operations generally are a precursor to a ground invasion.

Hezbollah has suffered devastating blows over the last week, with the niftily termed “Beeper Attack” and Explosive Radio Attack” followed by precision strikes that have decimated their command structure.