'Little Lebanon': Inside Israel's mock village built to train for war

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

Israeli military officials described recent threats of launching 120 simultaneous strikes against Lebanon as a "preemptive deterrent," warning of devastating retaliation if Hezbollah attacks either inside Israel or against its forces stationed in occupied Lebanese territory.

The threat coincided with a wave of Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, underscoring Tel Aviv's readiness for escalation. Alongside the warnings, the Israeli army released images of what it called its largest northern training facility, built to simulate combat with Lebanon.

The mock village, constructed on the ruins of the Syrian town of Zaoura in the occupied Golan Heights, has been dubbed "Little Lebanon." It includes tunnels, residential towers, narrow alleys monitored by dozens of cameras, and fortified urban settings meant to replicate the battlegrounds of southern Lebanon.

The site, once a minefield cleared after previous wars, has hosted repeated training drills. Just two weeks ago, Israeli commando units completed an intensive exercise there. The simulations feature mountain and underground warfare, overseen by officers with direct combat experience against Hezbollah during the last war.

While Israel presented the drills as a deterrent message to Hezbollah, some analysts interpreted them as a signal to Washington about Israel's determination to maintain pressure in the region.

The ongoing military preparations came as Israeli media leaked claims that Mossad operatives had carried out missions deep inside Beirut during the recent war, allegedly gathering intelligence that contributed to the assassination of Hezbollah's Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

By framing September 27 as a "historic turning point," Israeli officials sought to emphasize that their campaign had not only weakened Hezbollah's military infrastructure but also dealt a heavy blow to its morale.