Israeli Defense Forces Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi, stated that the return of normal civilian life in northern Israel along the border with Lebanon is the key to defeating Hezbollah. He emphasized the importance of having residents living in the area, tourism thriving, restaurants and cafes reopening, and agriculture flourishing to achieve long-term victory against the terrorist group. Halevi conducted a situational assessment in southern Lebanon along with other senior officers to discuss the ongoing operations in the region.
A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah, an Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon, has been in effect for a month. Israeli forces have been carrying out operations in southern Lebanon to dismantle terror tunnels and Hezbollah’s command center since the agreement was reached on Nov. 27. Strikes have continued in southern Lebanon and now also in the eastern Bekaa region as the ceasefire deal has held. Israeli officials have accused Hezbollah of smuggling weapons across the Lebanese-Syrian border crossings to test Israel.
Following attacks by Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, thousands of Israelis evacuated villages along the Lebanon border. Israeli forces responded by targeting Lebanon, weakening Hezbollah and forcing the group to make concessions. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced inside Lebanon have started to return home since the ceasefire agreement was put in place. Israeli forces have uncovered a Hezbollah weapons cache in an underground tunnel, providing evidence of the group’s ongoing efforts to test the ceasefire agreement and smuggle weapons.
Israeli Defense Forces soldiers have accused UN peacekeepers of enabling Hezbollah terrorists amid increasing ceasefire violations. Israeli officials have raised concerns about Hezbollah’s attempts to test Israel by smuggling weapons across the Lebanese-Syrian border crossings. The ongoing operations in southern Lebanon have been aimed at dismantling terror tunnels and Hezbollah’s command center, with strikes taking place in both southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa region. Israeli forces have been conducting operations to weaken Hezbollah and prevent the group from launching further attacks on Israel.
LTG Herzi Halevi emphasized the importance of achieving long-term victory against Hezbollah by promoting normal civilian life in northern Israel. He highlighted the need for residents to return to the area, tourism to thrive, restaurants and cafes to reopen, and agriculture to flourish. Israeli forces have been working to dismantle terror tunnels and Hezbollah’s command center in southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire agreement reached with the Iran-backed terrorist group. The ceasefire deal has held for a month, with Israeli forces continuing to conduct strikes in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa region to prevent Hezbollah from testing Israel through weapon smuggling.
