The so-called “security zone” that the Israeli army claims it is establishing in southern Lebanon to shield northern Israeli settlements is increasingly failing to achieve its declared objective. Instead, for settlers in the north, it has become what Israeli critics describe as a “deadly trap,” offering no effective protection against drones and missiles launched by Hezbollah resistance forces.
Writing in the Hebrew daily Maariv, Israeli military analyst Alon Ben-David said that “the historical mistake is being repeated: the new security zone is turning into a deadly trap.”
He noted that “daily reminders show that the security zone cannot provide protection for residents of the north,” adding that Hezbollah has reverted to guerrilla warfare tactics that rely not on large formations but on sustained strikes against the extensive network of Israeli military targets deployed across the border area.
He further argued that the zone fails to protect Israeli setlers not only from missiles and drones, but even from anti-tank fire. He cited an incident in which a Hezbollah anti-tank missile struck an Israeli military position on the Hamames Height, approximately 300 meters from Metula, stressing that the same strike capability could just as easily have targeted Israeli homes inside the settlement.
Ben-David added that the situation is compounded by what he described as the reliance on senior Israeli officers shaped by previous military experiences in Lebanon.
“The tragedy in southern Lebanon is exacerbated by the fact that those leading this fighting are senior Israeli army officers, who are themselves graduates of the folly campaign in Lebanon in the 1990s.”
He referred to an operation carried out by a special forces unit in the Litani area, saying Hezbollah fighters monitored the unit’s movements, tracked its route, planted an explosive device, and detonated it, injuring four soldiers. He said the incident reflected a “precise replication” of guerrilla tactics used against Israeli forces during the earlier security zone period in southern Lebanon (1985–2000).
He also recalled that shortly after the establishment of the former security zone in 1985, then-Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yossi Peled instructed that signs reading “Protection of the Northern Settlements” be installed at military posts, reflecting the prevailing belief among troops that their presence in Lebanon ensured civilian security in northern ‘Israel’. However, he argued that this perception proved illusory, noting that Israeli strikes on Lebanese civilians were often followed by rocket fire on northern settlements, undermining the zone’s stated purpose.
He further cited former Golani Brigade commander Gadi Eisenkot, who had reportedly challenged the strategic logic of the security zone, arguing that it effectively turned northern Israeli settlers into shields for deployed troops rather than the other way around.
Ben-David also pointed to what he described as Hezbollah’s early emphasis on psychological warfare, quoting the slogan: “A wounded soldier makes one mother cry, but a picture of that wound makes thousands of mothers cry.” He said the use of fiber-optic drone technology fits within this approach, designed to create a sense of being constantly observed and targeted.
This video shows footage from the Islamic Resistance's operation on 16-05-2026 targeting an Israeli enemy army Merkava tank in the town of Al-Bayyada, southern Lebanon, with a loitering glider pic.twitter.com/4E0tzZ1j4k
— Al-Manar English (@manarenglish) May 19, 2026
Concluding his remarks, he referenced recent footage from Ukraine, warning that drone warfare produces a new psychological reality for soldiers on the battlefield, where the perception of being directly hunted has become a defining feature of modern combat.
“When you see the videos coming out of Ukraine of fighters begging for their lives in front of drones, you can’t help but hope that we don’t see such a scene here as well,” Ben-David stated.
Source: Hebrew media (translated and edited by Al-Manar)