IDF Chief Says Gains in Lebanon Aim to Improve Security Arrangements

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday held a commanders’ briefing with divisional and brigade commanders in the Northern Command, praising their recent offensive activity, initiative and determination. He said Israeli forces would continue operating in Lebanon to strengthen the defense of northern border communities and deepen pressure on Hezbollah through ground maneuvering and integrated fire.

Zamir said the operation at Beaufort was operationally essential and directly tied to the campaign’s goals. According to him, it is meant to expand the military achievement against Hezbollah and deprive the group of underground, command-and-control, and fire capabilities it has developed over many years.

He said the findings above and below ground show how important the exposed infrastructure is, and how central the Beaufort area and the Ali Taher ridge are to Hezbollah’s efforts to entrench itself and strike northern residents. “Hezbollah brought disaster on the State of Lebanon and on the Shiite community; Lebanon’s citizens understand this well,” he said. “All villages in southern Lebanon have become an intricate network of terror infrastructure.”

The chief of staff also said Israeli troops in the field are operating “with operational superiority” and receiving unlimited fire support from land and air. He added that each additional battlefield gain will continue “the erosion and disintegration of Hezbollah’s southern front” and improve the security arrangements to be set in American-mediated negotiations between the political leadership and the Lebanese government. He said the forces are “determined, alert and ready to operate with varying levels of intensity in all sectors.”