How did the “Rizvan” unit become the nightmare of the Zionists?

Mehr News Agency, International Group: Following the attack by the occupying Quds regime on a building in Dahiya, south of Beirut, 12 commanders and members of the Rezvan unit, one of the elite operational forces of Hezbollah in Lebanon, They were martyred. In this action, Ibrahim Agil, one of the veterans against the Zionist regime, was also martyred.

Establishment of the Rezvan Unit

This unit borrows its name from the name of Imad Mughniyeh, one of the former commanders of Hezbollah, who was assassinated in Syria in 2008. The Rezwan force participates in important and complex operations and has a high position among Hezbollah forces in terms of the level of training and expertise. They are more capable than the average fighters of Hezbollah. This force has access to advanced military tools and equipment such as communication and information equipment, anti-tank weapons, guided missiles, drones, etc., which provides it with wide maneuvering power as an effective operating force.

The presence of this force in various operational areas, especially in southern Lebanon and the borders of the occupied territories, is a deterrent against the Zionist regime. This deterrent role against military movements has made this force play an irreplaceable role in supporting regional resistance groups and protecting Lebanon’s borders against foreign threats. Naturally, there is no accurate information about the number of Rezvan’s forces, and some western sources have estimated its number to be around 2,500 soldiers, which constitutes about 5% of Hezbollah’s manpower.

Some reports say that Rezvan’s forces in groups 7 to 10 personnel is divided and each one works independently under the central command. From this point of view, the main characteristic of these forces is the independence given to the commanders of these divisions, and these commanders are allowed to make quick tactical decisions on the battlefield.

The war in Syria and the battle with Takfiris

Rezwan’s unit played a prominent role in confronting Takfiri groups, especially during the advance of terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq. This unit, within the framework of Hezbollah’s mission, played an essential role in supporting the Syrian government against illegal foreign interventions from the beginning of the Syrian crisis. About 2,000 to 5,000 members of Hezbollah forces, including members of Rezwan, participated in the Syrian conflicts in 2012-2013 and played an important role in the liberation operations of Aleppo, Homs, and the suburbs of Damascus. Among the strategic role of Rizvan unit, we can mention the liberation of al-Qasir city. The Syrian opposition planned to use the strategic city of al-Qasir to capture Homs and separate it from Damascus, but they failed to achieve this goal.

Rizvan’s participation in the operation against Israel

In the 33-day war, the Rizvan unit under the command of Haj Rizvan played an essential role in offensive and defensive operations, including the operation of capturing the soldiers of the Zionist regime. Another scene of Rizvan’s presence in the war with the occupying regime took place especially after October 7, 2023. The leaders of the Zionist regime have repeatedly mentioned the name of the Rezvan unit. Even some military analysts of the Zionist regime believe that Rizvan is in charge of the mission of conquering the northern region of the occupied territories in the Galilee.

Tamir Heyman, a retired general who headed Israel’s military intelligence until 2021, said in an interview in January after the attack on southern Israel. The Rezvan force is responsible for repeating what happened on October 7 against Israel. Precisely for this reason, it is unacceptable for Israel to allow the fighters of this force to remain in the border area of ​​Lebanon. In an interview with the media in September 2023, Tzachi Hangbi, the national security adviser of the occupying regime, said: “This country can no longer accept Rezvan sitting on the border.” This issue caused more units of the Golani brigade to be deployed on the northern border of the occupied territories after October 8th and Hezbollah’s support for Hamas.

The occupying regime’s strategic fear of Rezvan forces

Rizvan’s force and how to deal with it is a big problem for the leaders of the Zionist regime. A New York Times article published on September 20 stated that “Israeli officials say Hezbollah’s elite Rizwan force poses a major threat.” Yoav Gallant, the Minister of War of the Zionist regime, also emphasized the goal of the regime to return more than 200,000 displaced Zionists to their homes after the assassination of the Rezvan commanders. “Even in the suburbs of Beirut, we will continue to pursue our enemy to protect our citizens,” he said.

In July 2023, a 6-minute film was released about the maneuvers of the Rezvan Force, which showed its members attacking the positions of the Zionist regime. This film was noticed among the Zionist circles in such a way that Sarit Zahavi, the founder of the Alma Zionist think tank, said: “What Hezbollah wants to achieve is to send a message not only to the Israelis but also to the Lebanese.” The goal is to establish the image of this force as the protector of Lebanon.”

Nicolas Blanford, a Beirut-based Hezbollah expert and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, said in a statement that “the recent attacks in Beirut hit Hezbollah, but since this “The party has tens of thousands of fighters, the casualties of a few dozen people are probably insignificant from a military point of view.” Aram Nargavizian, senior assistant at the think tank of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in an interview with AFP regarding the assassination of Rezvan’s commanders, noted that “Hezbollah still has tens of thousands of missiles in its arsenal, which is a testimony to the capabilities that this group has developed since 2006. »

Result

Rezwan unit is one of the most important military units of Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has played a prominent role in the war with the Zionist regime and Takfiri groups in Syria during the last two decades. After targeting the meeting of Rezvan forces in the suburbs of Beirut, experts believe that due to the organizational structure and high capabilities of this force, it does not seem that there will be a problem in its ability to deal with the occupying regime in the northern borders of the occupied territories.

Sajad Moradi Kalardeh; Researcher of international relations