Hizbullah Snow Video Sets Lebanese Social Media on Fire

The near simultaneous release of propaganda videos in which the Lebanese Army and Hizbullah flaunt their alpine skills triggered an avalanche of comments online Wednesday, some jokingly referencing the Winter Olympics.

Hizbullah looked keen to demonstrate it was undeterred by recent heavy snowfall in a slick two-minute production released late Tuesday that soon started trending on social media.

Hizbullah fighters, having swapped their usual colors for all-white snow camouflage gear, are seen doing target practice on skis and snowmobiles near Lebanon's southern border with Israel.

Also Tuesday, the Lebanese Army released a video showing its alpine unit performing drills in the snow.

Hizbullah is often described a state within the state, and the rival videos rekindled the debate on whether the Iran-backed paramilitary organization could outgun the national army.

Many on social media volunteered comparative analysis and style marks, while others drew parallels with the biathlon events at the Winter Olympics currently underway in Beijing.

Some suggested Hizbullah was preparing to assist Russian troops in an invasion of Ukraine.

Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post broadened the contest to include the Israeli alpine unit and asked, albeit without answering the question, whether Hizbullah's snow fighters were a match.

Israel and Hizbullah fought a short but devastating war in Lebanon in 2006.