Military alertness on Israel’s northern border is at a peak as Israeli security officials fear not only a Hezbollah aerial attack but are girding themselves for a ground infiltration of Radwan forces into the Galil area, chas v’chalilah.

Elite IDF units are stationed in the Galil to respond to a possible infiltration of yishuvim in the area.

According to a Maariv report, IDF forces have trained to decrease the response time of a military intervention force in the event of a raid or infiltration of terrorists into Israel. The units have trained to deal with extreme scenarios, including the possibility of Israelis being abducted, chas v’chalilah.

Also, firing positions and mobile bomb shelters have been placed on the roads of the Galil and near yishuvim as a defense system in the event that invading forces overcome IDF’s defense systems on the border. The bolstering of forces is intended to prevent enemy forces from reaching deep into Israel, with an emphasis on major cities in the north.

According to IDF assessments, there are tens of thousands of “unemployed” pro-Iranian militia soldiers in Syria and Iraq who still receive salaries, training, and weapons from Iran standing at a minimum of about 40 kilometers away from the Golan. Early signs of a possible order from Iran for the soldiers to invade Israel have been felt in recent months.

“We have a plan to prevent masses of terrorists from reaching here by exploiting the Golan’s terrain, which is mostly flat and under constant surveillance,” one of the officers told Ynet. “Ultimately, it’s about ground analysis. There are essential passages and natural obstacles here like the rugged wadis in the southern Golan, which any enemy must take into account — and so do we.”

According to Ynet, IDF lookouts recently identified weapons and surveillance equipment being delivered to a building in a Syrian village near the border, and not for the first time. According to the IDF, this is part of Hezbollah’s preparations to expand operations from Lebanon to the Syrian part of the Golan in the event of war with Israel.

The IDF has increased intelligence efforts in the area and recently equipped forces with more lethal explosives.

The Merom HaGalil Regional Council announced on Tuesday evening that following an up-to-date situational assessment, a decision was made that gatherings should be avoided in a number of yishuvim and residents should stay near protected areas. The yishuvim include Avivim, Meron, Bar Yochai, Kerem Ben Zimra, Or HaGanuz, Kadita, and several others.

At the same time, the IDF continues to attack and thwart Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon, focusing on the sites from where missiles and rockets were launched toward Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)