Mountain troops are an advantage for Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army

A deterrent message from Hezbollah special forces from the snowy peaks of Lebanon

Lebanon has a unique geographical advantage in the Arab Mashreq which is the rugged and imposing mountainous terrain. The western and eastern mountain ranges and high plains constitute 70-80% of the country's area. The peaks of Lebanon, such as the peak of Qornet al-Sawda, reach a height of over 3080 meters. What gives these mountains special significance is that they are inhabited despite the harsh climate and annual snowfalls. You will find many villages and towns at altitudes above 1800 meters, as Lebanon is under demographic pressure and high population density due to its small area.

Anyone who is Lebanese or knows the Land of Cedars well, realizes that this geography has given Lebanon a defensive advantage from which it has benefited throughout history. Therefore, it is not surprising for the observer that the Lebanese Armed Forces, whether the Army or the Resistance, have mountain combat units, to take advantage of the refuge and the secrecy offered by the environment. mountainous in movement, ease of camouflage or speed of movement on snow. The majority of modern armies in cold countries have this type of special mountain infantry units, the most famous of which are the regiments of Alpine hunters in France, and it considers them to be one of the best elite forces that they own.

Of course, this does not apply to armies in the Arab region, except for Lebanon and Morocco. As for Yemen, it has a different climate and its mountains are not covered with snow.

Images and recordings broadcast by Hezbollah of maneuvers and training of combat forces in the mountains have caused astonishment and concern to the Israeli army general staff, coinciding with the publication by the Lebanese army, similar clips of its members in a similar tactical setting.

However, some commentators have claimed that this type of military training is new to the region. This does not take into account the military history of Lebanon and the Lebanese Army. The Mountain Combat Company was created on February 11, 1998 and was linked to the Army General Staff Command for Operations, until it was attached to the Commando Regiment as an organic group in April 1999. Later, a second similar company was created until these units integrated into a Mountain Combat Battalion, forming a third company.

These formations are certainly well known to the Jewish State military and intelligence, and they were not surprised by the discovery of these units, but the broadcast of these clips at that time, that is- i.e. coinciding with the dissuasive speech of the Secretary General of Hezbollah, the Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, has sown confusion and debate in the Zionist media.

What has caught the attention of Israeli analysts is that the Lebanese Resistance generally maintains careful secrecy about its special forces. Despite the fame of the Radwan unit, the Israelis don't know anything about it, except that it caused them a lot of harm. The same situation applies more to some elite units, such as combat divers or what used to be called frogmen, and airborne units that infiltrated occupied Palestine with hover wings, that is- i.e. paragliders.

As I said in the beginning of the article, the mountainous nature gives Lebanon a defensive advantage, but since the mountainous areas also form the natural borders, it also gives the resistance an offensive advantage. Imagine how easy it is for these units to infiltrate the heights of Galilee in Palestine through the common mountains and hills, and imagine the speed of these movements using skis, snowmobiles and specialized gear such as the quads.

It is difficult to know the training course of the Hezbollah mountain units, which are affiliated, perhaps with the Radwan Force or form another independent faction. But if we refer to the Mountain Combat Companies of the Commando Regiment of the Lebanese Army, we can deduce the type of missions or training and specializations carried out by the elements of the company.

The elements of the Mountain Combat Company gradually follow several stages which are:

Introductory course in military skiing, lasting eight weeks. The course includes theoretical and practical lessons on skiing and military skiing techniques, methods of transport and shelter in the snow, medical evacuation, practice of shooting in snowy areas and heights, tactical training in r