Israeli Army Announces 'Extremely Important' Operations in Southern Lebanon

The Walla news site quoted Israeli officers as saying, "Our forces in southern Lebanon have entered a more significant and intensive phase and have begun extremely important operations under the direction of the political level."

The Israeli officers added: "We are working to establish a more effective defensive line along the border with Lebanon, and we are also working to thwart any ground infiltration attempts by Hezbollah similar to October 7," noting that "Hezbollah is trying to rebuild its capabilities, including infiltration attempts, and the Chief of Staff has directed our forces to primarily pursue the party's Radwan Force," stressing that "the long-term goal of our forces in Lebanon is to dismantle Hezbollah."

They also said, "Lebanese Hezbollah has become weak, so we continue to apply pressure."

Additionally, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that "our forces in Lebanon have built 5 bridges over the Litani River for crossing, and we are witnessing a significant deepening of the Israeli ground maneuver in southern Lebanon," revealing that "the operation in southern Lebanon has been planned for over a year."

The Broadcasting Authority added that "the goal of the operation in southern Lebanon is to remove the threat of missiles directed towards the towns of the Galilee Panhandle," noting that "the northern Litani area contains important centers of gravity for Hezbollah used by the 'Badr Unit.'"

For its part, Israeli Channel 12 pointed out that "Hezbollah is trying to create a new equation in response to the army's advance in Lebanon," indicating that "the government is discussing today tightening home front instructions against the backdrop of Hezbollah attacks."