BEIRUT: The Israeli Army is set to redeploy one of its brigades from the occupied West Bank in 2011 to the Israeli-Lebanon -Syria border, press reports claimed on Monday.
For the last 20 years the 900th brigade has been tasked with performing counter-terrorism operations in the West Bank.
However, as of next year, the battalion will be moved to the northern border where it will be assimilated into the Israeli Army Northern Command, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.
The paper cited an 'improvement [in the] security situation' as the reason for the move, but also quoted a senior an Israeli Army source as saying that the transfer may have been made in preparation for a 'Great War' expected to flare up in the north.
Border tensions escalated recently after two Lebanese soldiers, one journalist and an Israeli officer were killed in clashes at the Blue Line between the two sides on August 3.
The step comes in line with the strategic vision of the head of the Central Region General Avi Mizrahi which aims at improving the battalion’s performance and bolstering the number and readiness of troops stationed on the northern border, Maariv reported.
The 900th battalion, nicknamed 'Kfir' after the Israeli fighter jet, is under the leadership of Colonel Arron Abamin. It is expected to be relocated gradually in order to allow soldiers to be retrained for more combat-heavy roles.
The battalion’s extensive experience in operating in inhabited and border areas is expected to be of exceptional benefit to the Northern Command, Maariv quoted Mizrahi as saying.
With six infantry divisions, Kfir contains the highest number of infantry brigades in the Israeli Army. It will now join the Northern Command and take part in artillery and armored vehicle maneuvers, as well as receive extra ground training near the northern border on terrain designed to replicate conditions similar to those found in southern Lebanon and Syria, reports claimed.
The Northern Command headed the Israeli occupation of Lebanon from 1978 until their eventual withdrawal in 2000, and is considered to be among the best armed and trained troops in the Israeli Army.
Kfir is responsible for some 70 percent of arrests in the West Bank but has scaled down its urban operations in recent years amid reports that some of its command has requested to be redeployed outside of the settlements. Kfir has also been embroiled in controversy after reports circulated that a number of its troops had refused to serve alongside others because of rampant persecution of Palestinians.
Consequent reports have implicated Kfir in the worst of human-rights violations by the Israeli Army toward the Palestinian population. A probe by the Military Police for several breaches of misconduct, including the illegal use of firearms and plundering civilian shops and homes, is ongoing." (source)
