The Next Line

Over the past 24 hours more information has been flowing from the Bint Jubayl front. According to the Jerusalem Post article, elements of the Golan Brigade, including two battalions of armor screened by airborne and infantry have seized control of Bint Jubayl. The only major concentration of enemy troops mentioned being an estimated 100 Hezbollah fighters surrounded in the town casbah. The Israelis used their advantage in firepower to push Hezbollah units out of their positions, as the supporting artillery battalion fired over 3000 shells during the battle.

Bill Roggio has posted on the Counterterrorism Blog his assessment of how the Israeli's are going to proceed after the seizure of Bint Jubayl. He senses that the Israelis may soon run out of time, and thus are going to try to carve out a small buffer zone that will be turned over to a NATO led force that will replace the UN peacekeepers in the region.

If Israel is interested in getting to the Litani river as quickly as possible, they should start moving north in force over the next 24 to 48 hours. The IDF seems to be taking the local high ground first, which allows them to dominate the villages that are often placed in the valleys. The first signs may occur around the village of Taire as the hill to the north has a commanding view over the nearby towns. The hill to the south of Braachit may also be seized in conjunction with this.

It is going to be interesting to see if the IDF attempts to raise the tempo of their operations over the next few days. If things continue in this sector at the same pace, during the next 48 to 72 hours the IDF should occupy this next line of towns.