Israeli soldiers evacuated after a strike from Lebanon on Sep. 1, 2024. (Credit: Ayal Margolin/ Reuters)
BEIRUT — A week after the Israeli army announced that its 91st Division had completed an exercise to "raise readiness" on Israel's northern front, the 11th Brigade of the Israeli 99th Infantry Division declared that it "began training for a scenario that simulates a maneuver deep inside Lebanese territory", local media outlets reported citing the Israeli news website Walla News.
These military maneuvers followed a brief calm along the Blue Line in the past two weeks, following Hezbollah’s retaliation for the assassination of commander Fouad Shokor on Aug. 25. Tensions had been rising until that point but since Hezbollah's response, the front has returned to its previous rules of engagement.
What do we know about the exercises carried out over the past two weeks along the Lebanese border and the divisions involved?
91st Division
On Aug. 30, the Israeli army's Spokesperson for the Arab media Avichay Adraee said on X that the 91st Galilee Division had completed a joint exercise with police and other security agencies to "raise readiness on the northern front."
He also provided more details about the 91st Division, saying that it has "been fighting battles on the Lebanese border, destroying the enemy through ground and air operations and preparing to deal with various scenarios, both defensive and offensive."
Adraee added that on Aug. 26, this division "practiced dealing with defensive scenarios and transitioning from a regular, routine period to an emergency period" in Eastern Galilee.
"The exercise aims to improve the readiness of combat forces and headquarters, practice fire activation capabilities, make operational decisions in the field, treat and transport the wounded, and strengthen cooperation between different agencies."
The 91st Division, also known as the Galilee Formation, is part of the Northern Command, which is responsible for the entire front with Lebanon, from Ras Naqoura in the west to Mount Hermon in the east.
99th Division
In an official statement, the Israeli army announced on Friday that fighters from the 11th Brigade of the 99th Division had completed an exercise in the northern sector in recent days.
The drill was the latest in a series carried out by the Israeli army for "a potential war in Lebanon", according to the Times of Israel.
"The troops practiced combat and maneuver scenarios in front of the enemy while practicing movement in complicated terrain, advancing along a mountainous route and using fire. In addition, the forces of the brigade practiced scenarios of evacuating wounded from the battlefield under fire. The exercise is part of a series carried out by the ground forces in the northern sector."
The Israeli army added that fighters of this brigade "are operating in the northern sector after an intense period in which they fought in the Gaza Strip, as part of the brigade's activities in the Gaza Strip."
In one of the videos shared by the Israeli army about the training, Israeli soldiers are seen walking in a forest and taking fighting positions.
The information was first published on Sept. 5 by the Israeli Walla News, which reported that "the 11th Brigade of the 99th Division is practicing a complex combat scenario simulating a maneuver deep into Lebanese territory.
The 11th Brigade is a reserve unit in the Israeli army, composed mainly of fighters who completed their service in Unit 621 – 'Egoz'. This unit, which has already been targeted by Hezbollah in recent months, was established in 1995 to "bring about a revolution in terms of the Israeli army's capabilities in combating Hezbollah, and to this day, it specializes in guerrilla warfare primarily along Israel's Northern border," according to the army's website.
The Israeli 99th Division is an infantry division operating under the Central Command, which is notably responsible for the units and brigades in the West Bank, Jerusalem and the region of Tel-Aviv. The division, which was established in 2020 was, among others, in charge of operations in the West Bank. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, it has participated in operations in southern Gaza, to destroy Hamas' infrastructure, weapons and tunnels.
The division includes several brigades, such as the Paratroopers and Commando reserve brigades, as well as elite units. The current leader is Barak Hiram, who led battles in southern Lebanon during the 2006 war against Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in a war of attrition along the Lebanese-Israeli border since October, in parallel with the Gaza war. Daily cross-border attacks are almost in their twelfth month, and Hezbollah has lost several high-ranking members in assassinations by Israel, including most recently, the killing of top military commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut's southern suburbs.