“Little Lebanon” isn’t just any type of military training facility. Recently opened in the northern Golan Heights by the IDF, Ynet reports that the training grounds are designed to assess every aspect of urban combat situations that soldiers may face in future battles with the terror group Hezbollah. This facility has been in the works for two years on the ruins of Zaarour, an abandoned Syrian village.
The training facility gets its name from how it’s designed, which is based on a Shiite village in southern Lebanon. The grounds include mock apartment buildings, bunkers, narrow alleys, rubble, and underground tunnel networks.
“This is the closest thing we have to reality,” said Lt. Col. Zohar, head of training at the Ground Forces Command and the officer overseeing the project, in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth and Ynet. “We learned from last year’s maneuver against Hezbollah—both our mistakes and our successes—and we built this site to reflect that. Even the small details, like shrubs, boulders, and elevated terrain, are taken from what soldiers actually encountered in the field.”
The site also integrates an advanced digital feedback system. Dozens of cameras and recording devices are installed in streets, alleys, and buildings, enabling commanders and soldiers to review their communications, maneuvers, and mistakes in detailed debriefs.
Now, infantry, armor, and engineering units can train together in a realistic environment. Bulldozers, tanks, mortars, and snipers all operate alongside infantry in combined-arms drills. “We’ll scatter rubble and create sniper targets, so every element of the combat team gets tested,” Zohar explained.
The first unit to train in Little Lebanon has already conducted two weeks of drills and exercises. Preparation for a war is one thing, but preparing for wars on multiple fronts is quite another. For years, The Fellowship has offered support to IDF soldiers. We pray for their safety during training and in the face of combat.