The Israeli military is ready for a “multi-pronged war” against Iranian proxies, the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff said on Sunday, as the Israeli military prepares to shift from defense to offense against Hezbollah terrorists along its northern border. declared.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Helj Halevi said soldiers are being threatened by Iran and its proxies after Tehran accused the Israeli military of carrying out airstrikes in Syria that killed two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders. He said he was ready for any attempt at retaliation. week.
“IDF forces are prepared and active in all arenas in the south.” [near Gaza]in the north [near Lebanon]In Judea and Samaria and even in stadiums far away,” Halevi said in a statement. “The Israel Defense Forces knows how to deal with Iran both offensively and defensively.
“We are prepared for this, we have good defense systems and we know how to act forcefully against Iran, both near and far,” he added.
Mr. Halevi ultimately accused Iran of supporting terrorist organizations that have wreaked havoc in Israel and the region, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The military commander’s statement came as the IDF said its troops were preparing to shift from defense to attack against Hezbollah following months of deadly skirmishes along the northern border. Ta.
“In recent days, a new phase of the war preparations of the Northern Command was completed, centered on increasing the capabilities of emergency operational depots for the purpose of large-scale recruitment of the IDF if necessary,” the IDF said in a statement. Stated.
The Israeli military boasted that its reserve forces would soon be ready to deploy to the front line “with all the equipment necessary for combat.”
The aggressive incursion into Lebanon comes as Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged rocket fire across the border since the terrorist groups launched attacks on the Jewish state in solidarity with Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack. will intensify the conflict between them.
The fighting displaced tens of thousands of people in northern Israel and southern Lebanon and claimed the lives of nine civilians in the Jewish state and 40 civilians in Lebanon, Israeli and Lebanese officials said.
The Israeli military estimates that 11 IDF soldiers and more than 200 Hezbollah fighters were killed in the attack.
Despite the Israeli Defense Forces withdrawing all but one brigade from Gaza on Sunday as the situation intensifies in the north, Halevi insisted there is no change in the fight against Hamas in the south.
“The war in Gaza continues and we are far from stopping,” Halevi said, referring to the need to secure the hostages and locate Hamas’s high command.
“Sooner or later we will get to them. We are moving forward and continue to kill more terrorists and commanders and destroy more terrorist infrastructure,” he added.
The IDF’s war preparations echo the words of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who said in a statement Friday that the terrorist organization was “fully prepared” for war with Israel.
