Hezbollah's Radwan Force: Unraveling the military strategy that sparked Israeli concern

In parallel with the confrontations on the Israeli-Lebanese border, Tel Aviv is exerting diplomatic pressure in an attempt to remove the Radwan Force, backed by Hezbollah, from the area south of the Litani and subsequently push this force away from the borders.

So, what is the Radwan Force?

It is an "offensive force" whose idea of establishment dates back to the military commander in Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh, known as Hajj Radwan, who, after the July 2006 war, became convinced that the party could initiate an attack on Israel. 

Mughniyeh was martyred in 2008, but his idea materialized in the following years and was announced for the first time by Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on February 16, 2011, in response to the threat of the Israeli Defense Minister at the time, Ehud Barak, to invade Lebanon. 

The priority of the force was to control the Galilee, and today, it includes thousands of fighters who gained experience in the Syrian war, where they participated actively.

Its leaders and fighters are from Hezbollah's elite and have high combat experience. Sources indicate that its officials even trained officers in the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq and Palestine. 

Today, the presence of the Radwan Force is a source of concern for residents of Israeli settlements on the border with southern Lebanon.

Israel links the return of settlement residents to the implementation of Resolution 1701, which stipulates the establishment of an area between the Blue Line and the Litani River free of weapons, except for those belonging to UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army. 

However, Lebanese field sources say that Hezbollah has never violated the resolution, as evidenced by the presence of the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in southern Litani and the absence of visible military positions. 

Moreover, Hezbollah has not deployed its weapons openly except since the eruption of the "Al-Aqsa Flood."

If some consider Hezbollah's presence in the area, even "invisibly," before the Al-Aqsa Flood, a violation, sources say that Hezbollah is an integral part of the region, and anyone violating Resolution 1701 daily cannot demand the implementation of its details.

Since 2006, Israel has violated Lebanese airspace daily with reconnaissance and military aircraft. On the ground, it breaches 13 points along the Blue Line, including passing through this line under the Israeli al-Rahib site. 

Are we facing an imminent escalation on the ground, or is it just Israeli "verbal escalation" aimed at reassuring residents in the north adjacent to Lebanon?