JNS
Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin says the security reality in the north needs to change, speaking after Hezbollah blamed Israel for blasts in Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces is striving to subdue Hezbollah's threat on the Jewish state's northern border with Lebanon, IDF Northern Command head Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said Wednesday.
"We are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible," Gordin said, amid heightened tensions with the Iranian terrorist proxy. "The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete—with peak readiness for any task that will be required."
The IDF announced on Wednesday that Gordin observed a drill that soldiers of the 179th Brigade carried out. It also said that the 769th "Hiram" Territorial Brigade participated in a planning exercise.
Israeli soldiers responded to scenarios that simulate maneuvers in enemy territory, evacuation of wounded troops under fire, operation of various command posts and defense of the northern sector, per the IDF.
The brigade-level drills are the latest in a series of preparations for an all-out war in southern Lebanon. "Northern Command forces continue offensive and defensive operations," the IDF stated.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi called a situational assessment that focused on readiness in "offense and defense in all arenas," the IDF said on Tuesday night. Earlier, the Hezbollah terror organization blamed the Jewish state for blasts in Lebanon that killed several terrorists and wounded thousands more.
Halevi "held a situational assessment this evening with the participation of the General Staff Forum," including Gordin and about 30 of the most senior military commanders, per the IDF.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for pager explosions that wounded at least 3,000 and killed at least 12 terrorists in Lebanon and Syria earlier on Tuesday. It said that Jerusalem will get "its fair punishment" in response.
The terror group warned that "this treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly receive its just punishment for this sinful aggression from where it expects it or does not expect it," per a translation by Al Mayadeen, a Lebanese affiliate of the terrorist group.
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.
The IDF declined to comment on the incident, which came hours after the Israeli Cabinet said that one of the war goals is to return citizens displaced from their homes in the north. That potentially brings a major clash with Hezbollah closer to reality.
The IDF Home Front Command reportedly informed local authorities of a possible escalation on the border with Lebanon but stressed that there are currently no changes to instructions for Israeli citizens.
Hezbollah has attacked communities across northern Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8—firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones and leaving tens of thousands of civilians internally displaced. The ongoing attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told visiting U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein this week that displaced Israelis will not be able to return home without strong military or diplomatic action against Hezbollah.
Netanyahu "made it very clear that it will not be possible to return our residents without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north," the Prime Minister’s Office stated after the Monday meeting.
Israel "appreciates and respects" the Biden administration's aid, but it will "ultimately do what is necessary to safeguard its security and return the residents of the north securely to their homes," Netanyahu told Hochstein during the meeting at the IDF's Tel Aviv headquarters, per the Israeli readout.
Earlier on Monday, Hochstein reportedly warned Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a meeting that a military operation in Lebanon will not bring about the return of displaced northern residents, an unnamed Israeli official told Israeli media.
Hochstein told Gallant that the United States supports a diplomatic deal with Hezbollah, including through a truce with Hamas terrorists in Gaza, per a source familiar with the conversation. The U.S. envoy warned that broad military action would raise the risk of all-out regional war, per the Israeli official.
Gallant is said to have told Hochstein that only a military campaign against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon can create conditions that will allow Israel to return evacuees to their homes safely.
Gordin recently proposed in closed meetings that the IDF be authorized to create a buffer zone in Lebanon to remove Hezbollah from the border area, Israeli media reported on Monday, citing sources aware of the talks.
He also argued that current conditions are favorable to implement such a move swiftly and that many members of the "Radwan Force," the elite Hezbollah unit previously stationed close to the border, have either been killed during the past 11 months of conflict or retreated northward.
The primary objectives of this strategy are to neutralize the threat and push Hezbollah back, safeguarding northern Israeli towns. It also aims to create leverage for negotiating a lasting diplomatic settlement, as Hezbollah would likely be motivated to reach a deal.
