Gallant says IDF diverting resources to northern border in ‘new phase’ of war
As troops move north amid rising tensions with Hezbollah, after two days of mysterious explosions in Lebanon, IDF chief says Israel has ‘many capabilities’ it can yet deploy
Israeli political and defense officials ramped up their rhetoric on Wednesday indicating the IDF would be pivoting its efforts toward the northern border in a “new phase” of the war, amid escalating tensions with Hezbollah following widespread attacks on Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon attributed to Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF chief Herzi Halevi and other officials all issued statements Wednesday evening which appeared to suggest a full-on war with Hezbollah was brewing, hours after a wave of explosions of walkie-talkies and other communications devices used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon caused widespread casualties, echoing a similar attack a day earlier that targeted Hezbollah-issued pagers.
The IDF also announced Wednesday that it was redeploying its 98th Division to northern Israel, after months of operations in the Gaza Strip under the Southern Command.
“The center of gravity is moving north. We are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” Gallant told Israeli Air Force personnel at the Ramat David Airbase in remarks published by his office.
During more than 11 months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, Israel has also been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire with Hezbollah in Lebanon, although it has largely avoided escalating to an all-out war, as it focused its efforts on the south. Nevertheless, 26 civilians in Israel and 20 IDF soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks near the northern border, while more than 450 Hezbollah members have been reported killed, as have more than 100 civilians in Lebanon.
“I believe that we are at the onset of a new phase in this war, and we need to adapt,” Gallant added. “We will need consistency over time, this war requires great courage, determination, and perseverance.”
The defense minister — who has been widely reported to be facing dismissal by Netanyahu — said Israel’s war goals in the north are “clear and simple: to return the residents of the towns in the north to their homes safely.”
“We have not forgotten the hostages and we have not forgotten our tasks in the south. This is our duty and we are performing it at the same time,” Gallant added.
Israel has not publicly commented on Tuesday and Wednesday’s pager and walkie-talkie attacks, although Hezbollah has blamed Jerusalem for the explosions, vowing revenge, and anonymous US officials have told foreign media outlets that Israeli agencies were behind the assault. More than 20 people have been killed and thousands reported wounded in the two days of mysterious attacks in Lebanon.
In a very brief video statement on Wednesday, Netanyahu stated: “I’ve already said, we will return residents of the north safely to their homes, and that is exactly what we will do.”
Israel’s Channel 12 news reported on Thursday evening that the security cabinet on Tuesday, at a meeting that added “the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes” to the formal aims of the ongoing war, also jointly empowered Netanyahu and Gallant “to take defensive and offensive steps against Hezbollah in order to meet the aims of the war.”
Meanwhile, military officials also indicated that the IDF’s efforts would soon be focused on Israel’s northern border.
During a visit to the Northern Command on Wednesday, Halevi warned that Israel has “many more capabilities” that have not yet been used in the fight against Hezbollah.
“We are very determined to create the security conditions that will bring the residents [of the north] back to their homes, to the towns, with a high level of security, and we are ready to do whatever is required to enable this,” Halevi said in a video released by the IDF.
“We have many capabilities that we have not yet employed,” he continued. “We have seen some of these [capabilities in use], it seems to me that we are well prepared and we are preparing these plans going forward.”
The IDF chief said that “the rule is that every time we take action at a certain stage, the next two stages are ready to go forward strongly. At each stage the price for Hezbollah should grow higher.”
And the chief of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, said Wednesday that the military was determined to change the security situation on the Lebanese border as soon as possible.
“The mission is clear: We are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible. The commitment of the commanders and the troops here is complete, with peak readiness for any task that will be required,” Gordin said in remarks provided by the IDF.
Gordin visited a drill carried out Wednesday by reservists of the IDF’s 179th Brigade. Another drill was carried out earlier this week by the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade, the IDF said.
Both brigade-level drills simulated fighting in Lebanon, including maneuvering in enemy territory and extracting wounded under fire, according to the military. The drills are the latest in a series carried out by the IDF for a potential war in Lebanon.
