In a remarkable escalation from southern Lebanon, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir raised the level of threats against Hezbollah and Iran, declaring that the Israeli army was ready to return to a “strong and large-scale battle,” at a time when he confirmed the continuation of military operations on the Lebanese front and full coordination with the United States.
Zamir’s statements came during a field visit to the Khiam sector in southern Lebanon, accompanied by a number of senior military commanders, including the commander of the northern region, Major General Rafi Milo, and the commanders of active and reserve divisions and brigades.
During the visit, the Israeli Chief of Staff conducted a field assessment and listened to operational reports from military commanders. He also inspected a tunnel that the Israeli army said belonged to Hezbollah and was located at a depth of about 25 meters under a children’s clothing store.
In his speech to the forces, Zamir stressed that the army’s mission is to “remove any threat from Israeli towns and forces,” stressing that “all the army’s capabilities are at the disposal of the forces and there are no restrictions on the use of force,” calling for continuing to monitor and target what he described as “hostile forces.”
He also announced that the Israeli army “eliminated more than 2,000 Hezbollah members” since the start of Operation “Assad’s Roar,” stressing that Israel “will seize any opportunity to expand the strike directed at Hezbollah and continually weaken it.”
Regarding Iran, Zamir said that Israel has “an additional set of targets ready to strike,” adding that the army is in a state of readiness to return to a broad confrontation that would “deepen the achievements and weaken the Iranian regime even more.”
He stressed that cooperation and coordination with the US Army continues permanently, in light of what he described as a “multi-front battle,” considering that Israel faces a “historic opportunity to change the regional reality.”
Speaking about the infrastructure that the Israeli army said it had discovered, Zamir accused Hezbollah of using civilian areas for military purposes, considering that finding a tunnel under a children’s store constituted “further evidence” of this.
He concluded by stressing that the Israeli army will not retreat “backward” before ensuring the security of the northern towns and reaching a long-term solution, stressing that the forces deployed on the border constitute the “protective wall” for those areas.
These statements come in light of the escalation of confrontations on the southern front, with the continuation of raids and mutual military operations, amid fears of the expansion of the war towards a broader regional confrontation that directly includes Iran.
