Eight Merkava tanks destroyed, Israeli forces ambushed during cross-border operation, Iran strengthens its negotiation leverage!
According to multiple statements released by Lebanon's Hezbollah official media outlet, "Al-Manar," and its affiliated news agency, the group’s elite forces have, within the past 48 hours, used anti-tank missiles, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and coordinated drone strikes to set ambushes near the southern Lebanese border villages of Tebba and Qantara, severely damaging an Israeli armored convoy attempting to penetrate controlled areas.
Eight Merkava tanks of various models—including the latest Merkava-4—were completely burned or rendered combat-ineffective; meanwhile, a D9 heavy bulldozer used for clearing roadblocks and minefields was also destroyed.
Although the Israeli military typically remains silent about specific equipment losses or only acknowledges “vehicle damage,” open-source intelligence agencies and several international media outlets—including Reuters and Al-Arabiya TV—have cited video evidence circulating on the ground. The footage clearly shows multiple Merkava tanks engulfed in flames, with crew members urgently evacuating, as well as the abandoned wreckage of the D9 bulldozer. These visual materials strongly corroborate the credibility of Hezbollah’s claims.
The D9 bulldozer is crucial for engineering units to clear paths through obstacles. Its destruction effectively severed Israel’s armored forces’ ability to clear routes, preventing follow-up units from deploying properly. The guerrilla force struck at precisely the right moment: when Israeli convoys entered narrow villages or terrain-constrained zones, their maneuverability was severely limited, exposing flanks and rear positions—ideal conditions for anti-tank missile attacks and top-attack drones.
Hezbollah employed advanced anti-tank missiles, including Russian-made "Kornet" systems, combined with suicide drones, creating a layered strike network that made it extremely difficult even for Merkava tanks equipped with the “Trophy” active protection system to survive unscathed.
In southern Lebanon, the Israeli military faces a highly mobilized social environment. Hezbollah not only maintains a formalized military structure but is deeply embedded within local Shia communities. Every Israeli incursion carries risks of intelligence leaks, route surveillance, and harassment of supply lines.
In contrast, the Israeli forces, as foreign invaders, lack local civilian intelligence support and often face hostile surroundings. This “blind man’s buff” operational environment compels them to rely heavily on heavy armor for self-protection—yet this very reliance increases their visibility and vulnerability in complex terrains, making them prime targets for ambushes. Tactical rigidity—attempting to apply conventional armored assaults against asymmetric guerrilla networks—is the direct cause of this major setback.
If even Israel, operating on its own doorstep with absolute air superiority, struggles so severely in Lebanon, then the hypothetical scenario of launching operations into Iran would entail exponentially greater difficulty and risk.
Moreover, this incident underscores one critical fact: Israel’s military power has limits. Its ground forces become significantly more vulnerable when operating far from home supply lines and facing adversaries with determined resistance. This dramatically enhances Iran’s negotiating position.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860685291714624/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.