Here’s What We Know About Hezbollah’s Elite Unit, Radwan Force
Previously a relatively unknown military unit of Hezbollah, the Radwan Force has gained renewed attention in recent months.
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Hezbollah Readies Elite Radwan Unit To Take On IDF, Flexes Military Prowess
The Radwan Force, previously a relatively unknown Hezbollah military unit, has gained renewed attention in recent months.
Israel demanded that the elite unit withdraw more than 30 kilometers from the Lebanese-Israeli border, and threatened to remove it by force if Hezbollah did not do so voluntarily.
Rumors spread about the unit's deployment to the Syrian Golan Heights, and analysts said that this deployment might open a new front with Israel.
But military unity is not new.
The special forces unit is trained to conduct small raids in Israel, and has been in existence since at least 2006, when it carried out the capture of Israeli soldiers – the catalyst for the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the New York Times said in its report that Radwan took the lead in Hezbollah's long-running conflict with Israel, and in cross-border attacks that escalated in the months when Israel and Hamas were at war.
Israeli military analysts say that Radwan is adopting the mission of occupying the Galilee region in northern Israel.
“The Radwan Force is committed to repeating in the north what happened on October 7 in southern Israel,” Tamir Hayman, a retired general who led Israeli military intelligence until 2021, said in an interview.
“For this very reason, it is unacceptable for Israel to allow its fighters to remain in the border area.”
Israeli military intelligence estimates that during wartime, Radwan units will be assigned to cross-border raids, aimed at attacking civilian settlements and taking hostages.
The former commander of Israeli forces in the north facing Lebanon said that Hezbollah has expanded its offensive capabilities.
Local Israeli media quoted General Shlomi Bender as saying that there is a need for constant vigilance on the northern front, as the army cannot rely solely on intelligence information to know about its opponent’s possible sudden movements.
He said that in recent years, Hezbollah has moved its special forces known as the Radwan Unit to the Israeli border region and expanded its firepower, with a greater ability to conduct major offensive operations.
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