I put my earplugs in and take a step back. The flash comes from the tank barrel first, then the boom.
The snipers to my left open fire. Red machine gun fire shoots toward the village and laser-guided artillery hits the walls.
Israeli paratroopers attack a mock Hezbollah village. It's training, but any day now it could become real.
Decision to invade Lebanon It has not yet been made, but the Israeli government has made increasingly tough statements, and all the soldiers I spoke to privately said they believed it would happen.
However, it will be a bloody war for both sides. Hizb allah Although Hamas is much larger, better armed, and tougher in combat, Israeli leaders believe they will eventually prevail.
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The Golan Heights are located on the border with Lebanon and were captured from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967
“We don't take their preparedness lightly,” one senior officer tells us. “And we clearly recognize their willingness and experience to fully understand our adversaries and enemies.
“But this does not scare us. I believe that the IDF throughout, and my unit in particular, is better trained and equipped than Hezbollah.”
there Daily exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah Across the border, which in normal times is enough to actually start a war. These are not normal times, but dangerous times.
The Golan in winter is cold and rainy. Low cloud wraps around the hills, and the wind blows through the valleys. Think Peak District, rather than what one might imagine The Middle East He is.
The area has been fought over several times. It is now a land occupied by Israel, which it annexed after the 1967 war, and is surrounded by Syria on one side, and Lebanon on the other side, both of which are enemies of Israel.
Ancient Syrian bunkers stretch deep into the hillsides as a reminder of past wars and the former owners of this land.
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Today it has once again become largely military in nature, as Israel prepares for another war with Lebanon.
Even if a ceasefire was reached, and Hezbollah stopped firing missiles at Israel, this may not be enough to prevent war, because the Israelis were very clear in their desire to push Hezbollah to retreat deep into southern Lebanon in accordance with the UN resolution.
If diplomacy doesn't work, they will use the Israeli army to do it.
Israel It also violates the UN resolution by flying through Lebanese airspace and occupying some territory that they were supposed to return under international law.
A diplomatic solution to avoid war will need to work in both directions.
But diplomacy appears to have made little progress so far, and Israel is giving signs that its patience may be running out.
