'Next Lebanon war will be different'

Ynetnews - IDF officials painted a bleak picture of a future conflict between Israel and Lebanon, saying that it will probably entail a massive response by the IDF, including the deployment of ground forces.

On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, IDF officials expressed grave concern over the future of the relative calm noted on the Lebanese border.

Between the Islamist dawn in Egypt, the bloody uprising in Syria and the overall instability in the Middle East, the situation in Lebanon is seen as fairly stable; but IDF officials warned Thursday that as Hezbollah's grip on the country grows, looks may be deceiving.

"Any escalation can result in rocket fire on central Israel," a senior officer said.

"The next war will be different. We'll have to attack with more force, more violently, to halt any assault of the home front as quickly as possible."

Israel is aware that the deployment of ground forces "has a serious impact on Hezbollah's launching abilities," he continued, adding that ground maneuvers "Will cause them massive damage.

"Even if we go only after their military infrastructure… There will be a completely different ratio between the explosives used on Lebanon and those used on Israel."

The officer added that while any conflict that would bring into play a full-on Israeli response could be over within five or six days, "We will undoubtedly suffer quite a few casualties, both among IDF ranks and in the home front. This is why a ground deployment would be a must."

Commenting on the Goldstone Report, penned following Operation Cast Lead, the officer said that the damage caused to Lebanon by such a conflict with Israel "Will make Goldstone pale in comparison – because Hezbollah has chosen to make the most cynical use of civilian population centers."

'We won't fire first'

The IDF has clear indication that Hezbollah has increased its reconnaissance efforts along the northern border.

Most recently, the IDF has been able to detect a Hezbollah tactical command post set up in the Lebanese village of Kila, directly across the border from the northern Israeli city of Metula.

"Generally, our policy is not to be the ones to fire first, but once we are fired upon we will react with full force," a senior GOC Northern Command officer said. "We will shoot to kill."

The IDF is marking what has been lauded as the six "most stable years we've seen in the sector since the 1970s."

But Hezbollah movements on the border are evident and military sources said that there is no doubt that the Shiite terror group is getting its funding from Iran.