To Pursue Hezbollah: Israel Threatens to Expand Operations in Southern Lebanon

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir threatened to expand the ongoing military operations in southern Lebanon to pursue Hezbollah elements, stressing the troops' readiness for any change in the situation and their preparedness for a wide range of scenarios.

This came during a visit by the Chief of Staff to southern Lebanon, where he met with fighters and commanders of the "Kfir" Brigade (900), who entered, for the first time last week, a ground maneuver in southern Lebanon, after a long period of fighting in the Gaza Strip.

During the visit, Zamir held a dialogue with the battalion commanders of the brigade and the brigade commanders of the 91st Division, and reviewed their level of readiness to carry out their missions in the region, according to a military statement.

Zamir said that several areas have been controlled while continuing to be cleared of terrorist infrastructure, noting that these areas were where Hezbollah was stationed and from which it threatened and carried out its attacks against towns in northern Israel.

Zamir added: "If necessary, we will expand the scope of our operations to include additional areas. We operate according to a clear security concept: we deploy in forward defense zones deep inside enemy territory on all fronts from which a direct threat emanates."

The Chief of Staff stressed that "the Israeli army is responsible for security and will not withdraw from the areas it has controlled until security is ensured for a long time," as he put it.

Zamir addressed his soldiers, saying: "The battle on all fronts is not over yet, and you must be prepared for its continuation. You must remain at the highest levels of readiness, be able to adapt quickly, and act swiftly and with an offensive spirit to deepen the strike against the enemy."

He added: "We have achieved very significant accomplishments in the confrontation with Iran, and if necessary, we will know how to deepen these accomplishments as well. This phase carries with it major leadership challenges. It is important that we know how to convey the reality to our personnel and maintain their operational readiness."

He concluded by saying: "Our missions are constantly expanding, and therefore we need to expand the size of the Israeli army and increase the number of our fighters to fulfill these missions. Our goal is for all regular brigades to be able to get a period of rest and renewal until the holiday period, along with reducing the size of reserve service as much as possible."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with Secretary of Defense Hegseth, following his meeting with Trump. Officials stated that Israeli forces might participate in a potential major US attack, if the Trump administration decides to return to large-scale combat operations.

Trump hinted on Wednesday morning that he is indeed determined to resume strikes against Iran, although he did not disclose details and left the door open for diplomatic negotiations.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had earlier on Wednesday renewed Lebanon's commitment to implementing what was signed in Washington under the "Framework Agreement" with Israel.

He stressed that the success of this agreement is contingent on a full Israeli withdrawal from the south, concurrent with the deployment of the Lebanese army, and a permanent cessation of Israeli attacks that continue to affect southern Lebanon.