Two Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon on Jan. 26, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Tour)
In October 2024, in the midst of Israel's ground offensive in southern Lebanon, the Israeli army established, "in two nights," an advanced operations center in the heart of Khiam, a border village in Marjayoun district, which was one of the main battlegrounds with Hezbollah.
The installation of this military infrastructure is reported to have marked a turning point in how Israel conducts its ground operations in Lebanon, according to information from the Israeli site Walla News, which revealed the details of the operation.
According to the outlet, the decision to set up such an "advanced logistics center" in central Khiam was made on Oct. 14, 2024 — more than two weeks after the announcement of ground maneuvers in southern Lebanon, and two weeks before Hezbollah began to claim, in the statements it published at the time, its first attacks against Israeli soldiers in and around the village.
Walla’s sources note that while the "barely five kilometers" distance between Metoulla, on the Israeli side, and Khiam "seems short," the maneuver could have been "likely to turn into a deadly trap" due to the terrain’s conditions — its "mountainous topography, covered in dense vegetation, likely to create logistical bottlenecks," thus giving an advantage to the al-Radwan force, Hezbollah’s elite unit.
The mission to install this center was reportedly assigned to the Israeli army’s 98th division. This division, made up of elite troops including paratroopers and commandos, is originally part of Israel’s central command. It was redeployed in September 2024 from the Gaza Strip to Israel’s northern front.
During the most recent war between Hezbollah and the Israeli state (October 2023 to November 2024), Khiam was at the center of fierce fighting for several weeks.
The Israeli army launched its ground offensive into southern Lebanon on Sep. 30, 2024, and occupied several border localities. According to statements from the party, Hezbollah began attacking soldiers in and around Khiam on Oct. 28, 2024.
Among the five positions still occupied by Israeli soldiers is the Hamames hill, south of Khiam, the farthest east and most distant from the border (almost 1.5 kilometers as the crow flies). It was not immediately clear, from the Israeli article, whether the "logistics center" was established by the army on this hill or within the locality itself.
A 'logistics factory'
The reason behind the choice of Khiam as a "logistics base" was tied to its geographic position, according to Walla’s sources, given that control of the village, which overlooks the Marjayoun region, allowed Israel to "dominate the valley and supply routes to the north."
In this sector, the Israeli army had to set up a "24/7 operational center in the very heart of the combat zone" — in effect, a real "logistics factory."
In just two nights, logistics forces are said to have taken control of the area and turned it into a forward base, from which "commanders became drone operators to urgently deliver batteries, equipment, and munitions weighing up to 30 kilos to frontline units."
This enabled Israeli soldiers holding positions in southern Lebanon to receive daily deliveries of military gear and supplies, with some accounts even mentioning a shipment of ice.
Khiam center a 'vital artery'
The center also reportedly served as a recharging point for phones and drones, as well as a depot for technical equipment, food, water, and medical care. At a later stage, the site even served as a center for repairing tanks and stabilizing wounded soldiers before their evacuation to Israel.
The Khiam experience, according to Walla reporting, was part of a broader initiative aiming to prepare the Israeli army for longer, multi-front operations, in a regional environment marked by tensions with Iran and the possibility of conflict spreading across the Middle East.
The army’s logistics command is said to be evolving from a model reliant on trucks and warehouses to a structure based on advanced technology, with heavy cargo drones and autonomous convoys. According to the outlet, this would help develop a "new Israeli military doctrine."
Rubio condemns Iran's 'outrageous' attacks on Kuwait
