Anonymous Israeli “military officials” have been handing out warnings that Hezbollah is turning southern Lebanon into a giant human shield for Hezbollah’s next war with Israel. These officials say that, while Israel will try to minimize civilian casualties, it can’t promise anything and can’t roll over and play dead before a barrage of Hezbollah missiles.

A New York Times report indicates that these officials particularly targeted the Gray Lady with information. Other reports, such as this one from Agence France-Presse, tell of a more general briefing for foreign journalists at the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.

The Times report tells of a tiny southern Lebanese Shiite village, Muhaybib, where the Israeli military sees, “nine arms depots, five rocket-launching sites, four infantry positions, signs of three underground tunnels, three antitank positions and, in the very center of the village, a Hezbollah command post.”

The report also says Israel gave the Times “maps and aerial photography” showing that Hezbollah “has moved most of its military infrastructure into the Shiite villages of southern Lebanon and around their perimeters.”

In Shaqra, a larger village than Muhaybib with a population of 4,000, Israel “has identified about 400 military sites and facilities belonging to Hezbollah….” That is, a military site or facility per every 10 villagers.

“Effectively,” the Times says, “the Israelis are warning that in the event of another conflict with Hezbollah, many Lebanese civilians will probably be killed, and that it should not be considered Israel’s fault.”

Israel also pointed out to the Times that Hezbollah “has increased its firepower tenfold since 2006 and now possesses about 100,000 rockets and missiles. Most are short-range Katyusha-type rockets…but the arsenal also includes thousands of medium-range missiles that could reach Tel Aviv, and hundreds that could reach any part of Israel.”

In other words, in the next war Hezbollah — which gets its weapons from Iran and Syria — wants to shower Israel with a missile assault far deadlier than any that Hamas has been able to mount from Gaza, and is counting on deaths among its human shields to get the world to pressure Israel to “show restraint,” sue for a ceasefire, and generally not defend itself too effectively.

Reprinted with author’s permission from PJ Media