Israel’s military exercises signal possible war with Lebanon

Military drills conducted by the Israeli army since the beginning of 2017 are being interpreted as preparations for a war against Lebanon, as the most recent drill was held along the country's northern border.

Israel, which has launched eight exercises since March, held its largest drill in 20 years, the Light of the Grain, on Sept. 5-14. The purpose of the drill, which took 18 months to plan, was to "ensure the readiness of the [Israeli] forces for any kind of scenario" against foreign powers, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said.

Israeli sources say the drill was launched to test if the IDF was ready against Hezbollah which has increased its military force in Lebanon.

Largest-scale drill

The drill, beginning with a scenario of an attack on Israel, is significant as it has the largest capacity ever in the history of the Israeli army. Ground, navy and air forces used various defense systems to test their capacities in the drill. For instance, the Hermes 900 unmanned aerial vehicle was used by the ground and air forces during the exercises. The last time the IDF conducted a drill of this scale was in 1998, as part of a conventional war with Syria.

The Light of the Grain drill's focus on combating a comprehensive a foreign threat is being evaluated as Israel's effort to adapt to changing security conditions in the region.

'Beginning of the end' for Israel, says Hezbollah leader

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Dec. 11 that U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital would mark the "beginning of the end" for Israel. "Today the axis of resistance, including Hezbollah, will return as its most important priority ... Jerusalem and Palestine and the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance in all its factions," he added.

Stating that Trump's decision on Jerusalem "has left the U.S. and Israel isolated against the rest of the world," Nasrallah said the best response to Trump would be a third intifada on the occupied Palestinian lands. He called on the Arab world to "adopt the Palestinians when they begin a new intifada," and on Hezbollah's allies to implement a united strategy "in the field" against Israel.

Nasrallah stated last month that Hezbollah, which views Israel as the biggest threat on its borders, has sent arms to Palestine territories before.