Will the strong counterattack by Hezbollah push Israel back?

Israeli forces have had great difficulties in southern Lebanon recently, running strong opposition from Hezbollah. Israel's assault appears to be weakening after many weeks of ground incursions. Israeli officials are now signaling a possible retreat, suggesting that their goals in Lebanon might have missed mark.

Channel 13 in Israel said on Saturday that with an estimated 90% of their campaign already over, the ground operations of the Israeli military in southern Lebanon are almost finished. This follows remarks made by the Israeli military, implying a strategic recalibration that some analysts believe reflects Israel's constraints in achieving her goals.

In an Al-Jazeera interview, military affairs analyst Faiz Al-Daweiri said the Israeli decision to pull "reasonable." He juxtaposed this change with earlier comments made by Israeli Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi, who had underlined the need of a larger assault in Lebanon. Al-Daweiri contended that the seeming change reflected Israel's inability to decisively defeat Hezbollah forces firmly ingrained in southern Lebanon.

The damage over the fight has been really extensive. Israeli military strikes have badly affected Lebanese communities close to the Israeli border, reminiscent of the devastation Israel has also targeted most recently in Gaza. Nevertheless, Hezbollah keeps a strong presence in these border areas despite the barrage; it signals that resistance forces are undeterred and launches continuous operations against Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah allegedly has carried high-impact strikes on important Israeli sites in the past few weeks. Al-Daweiri argues that Hezbollah's ability to hit vital Israeli infrastructure is shown by its strikes of several air bases in and around Tel Aviv. Further taxing Israeli defenses is regular rocket fire aimed at cities including Haifa and Galilee.

Military and strategic expert Brigadier Elias Hanna underlined the ongoing difficulties Israeli soldiers experience in Lebanon. Israeli ground troops have battled to dislocate Hezbollah fighters despite significant deployment near the Lebanese border and multiple attempts to advance. Particularly targeted by Israel has been the special "Rezvan" battalions of Hezbollah stationed close to the border, who have caused major deaths to Israeli soldiers.