In recent days, forces from the Givati Brigade Combat Team embarked on an operation to gain operational control and clear the area of the villages of Zutar a-Sharqiya and Zutar al-Gharbiya as part of the divisional effort to strengthen operational control in southern Lebanon and remove the direct threat to the Finger of Galilee and Metula.
The forces have crossed the Litani River and are conducting targeted raids on terrorist infrastructures in the area, locating and destroying weapons and terrorists in the area. So far, more than 100 attacks have been carried out with the assistance of the Air Force and about 20 terrorists have been eliminated, along with the discovery of hundreds of weapons in civilian homes in the area.
Givati Brigade Commander, Col. Netanel Shamka, spoke to Itamar Levy of the IDF website about his feelings during the operation to capture Beaufort. "As we advance along the river, or up the ridge, we see a lot of launchers, weapons, and above us - steep-track fire. At a time like this, I think to myself how important it is that we are here and what it all means.".
Just a few days ago, he set out with Givati forces on an operation to cleanse the villages of Zutar a-Sharqiya and Zutar al-Gharbiya, in which they were the first to cross the Litani and took part in the conquest of the Beaufort Ridge and the Saluki River - together with the 36th Division, the Commando Brigade and the Marom Brigade.
""The first stage was preparing the crossings on the Litani," the brigade commander describes the beginning of the activity. This involved an extensive engineering effort to clear the undergrowth, level the steep ground, and build crossings over the bridge for the troops.
At the same time, after the forces established themselves in the area, they began to purge it of terrorists and destroy the Hezbollah infrastructure that had been embedded in it. This phase also includes face-to-face encounters with terrorists.
When the crossings over the river were closed, they began a rapid crossing, breaking through the routes where there was a significant Hezbollah presence.
""We quickly moved to the other bank, and at the foot of the ridge," recounts Colonel Shamka, "we immediately seized the area, including clearing the villages and destroying their infrastructure, as well as entire Hezbollah outposts, including extensive anti-tank and anti-tank capabilities, which the terrorist organization has made extensive use of in recent months." This was a rapid step, which allowed for a more significant entry of forces, on the way to conquering Beaufort and Saluki.
""Standing there, on the summit of the ridge, alongside all the forces that took part, brought up mixed emotions," admits the brigade commander, "both looking back at the northern communities that we are defending, but also remembering and thinking about those fighters who fell bravely on the way there.".
Now, the main focus of the work is on clearing the area of terrorists, as well as identifying and destroying strategic Hezbollah assets. In parallel with the fighting efforts, within a few days of the start of the operation, logistics routes for trucks and trailers were already established, in response to the needs of the forces operating there.
""Like any combat commander, my mission is to push my men to achieve. And my place must be at the front. To push them forward. Even in difficult moments, when we lose heroic soldiers in battle, I stand with them at the front, fighting alongside them, with them in encounters, evacuating the wounded. And getting under the stretcher. That is my duty as their commander.".
In the past two years, the Givati Brigade's activities have focused on Gaza and the surrounding settlements. For the brigade, which led the fighting inside the Strip, the move north is not just about the new sector. They had to quickly adapt to a less familiar route, with a sharp change. "But we knew what we were facing, and we prepared ourselves for this change and challenge, in order to arrive as prepared as possible.".
Between the fighting in Gaza and the launch of ground operations in Lebanon, all the battalions managed to also occupy a defensive line in the north. "During this period," the brigade commander emphasizes, "we did not give up any training, any exercise or preparation for the new route. We learned the nature of the enemy and the fighting we would encounter, practiced them, and deeply assimilated the changes within the entire brigade.".
About two months ago, Givati fighters, their commanders, fighters, and staff members arrived at the assembly and command areas, for the last moments before crossing the fence.
For Colonel Shamkah, it was also a significant milestone: "Before I was a brigade commander, I was a fighter, and I remember the feelings of a fighter in such moments. I knew that I was responsible for the thousands of soldiers who stood before me. And I wake up in the morning and fall asleep at night with this thought in my head, and even now when we reach such great achievements, this is what drives me.".
