JNS
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Wednesday night approved attack and defense plans for the north.
The Israel Defense Forces has entered a new stage in the conflict against Iran's regional terrorist proxies, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday, speaking shortly before a second wave of explosions hit Hezbollah communications devices across Beirut and Southern Lebanon.
"I estimate that we are at the beginning of a new period in this war," he declared, speaking at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa.
"The center of gravity is moving to the north. This means that we are moving forces, resources and energy to the north," the defense minister said. "We did not forget the hostages, and we did not forget our missions in the south. This is our duty, and we carry it out simultaneously."
Regarding the looming war with Hezbollah, he said "this operation is carried out by all the [security] bodies, and the mission is clear and simple: To bring the residents of the north back to their homes safely."
The IDF is making "excellent achievements together with the Shin Bet [internal security agency], together with the Mossad," Gallant noted.
"The prime minister, the chief of staff, the head of the Shin Bet, of the Mossad, and the defense minister, all of them are participating in a joint effort, with one goal in mind, to bring the residents back," he added.
Hezbollah, a proxy of Iran, "is not Hamas ... and we need to take this into account. We need consistency over time. This war requires courage, determination and perseverance," according to the defense minister.
Gallant's office released the remarks shortly after more communications devices used by Hezbollah exploded across the terrorist organization's main strongholds in Beirut and Southern Lebanon, killing at least nine.
According to the Lebanese government, more than 300 Hezbollah operatives sustained wounds in the latest series of device blasts.
On Tuesday, 2,700-plus Hezbollah operatives were wounded and at least 12 were killed in Lebanon when their pagers exploded, with the terrorist organization saying it held the Jewish state "fully responsible."
The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment on Tuesday's incident, which came just hours after the Israeli Cabinet added the return of citizens displaced from their homes in the north to the country's war goals, bringing a potential major clash with Hezbollah closer to reality.
Iran-backed Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have so far killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Wednesday night approved "attack and defense plans for the north," the army said.
"We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated, I repeat, we have not yet activated. We saw some of these things here," Halevi stated in remarks made at the Northern Command base in Safed.
"The rule is that every time we work on a certain stage, the next two stages are already ready to advance. At each stage, the price for Hezbollah must be high," the Israeli army chief concluded.
Earlier on Wednesday, IDF Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said the army is striving to subdue Hezbollah’s threat on the northern border and "change the security reality as soon as possible."
A U.S. official told ABC News on Tuesday that Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons will likely retaliate against Israel for the pager attacks, but “it could take them time to do so while they assess what happened.”
Israeli security officials also believe that Hezbollah is preparing for a large-scale assault in response to the attack attributed to Jerusalem, the Israeli Kan News public broadcaster reported on Tuesday night.
