Halevi hosts US army chief Brown in north; Gallant says must be ready to thwart Iran nukes
Meeting counterpart day after Hezbollah bombardment and preemptive Israeli strikes, IDF chief vows to continue to degrade terror group, quickly enable displaced residents to return
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi on Monday said the military was working to return displaced residents of northern Israel to their homes “as quickly as possible,” given daily attacks by Hezbollah.
Halevi’s remarks came as the north was targeted by several drone attacks after a roughly daylong lull following Hezbollah’s massive bombardment early Sunday, with a much larger attack thwarted by preemptive Israeli strikes, and after he met with top American Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
Brown also met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who told him that Israel and the United States must be “prepared at any time” to work together to prevent Iran’s efforts to attain nuclear weapons.
In a video statement from northern Israel, Halevi said: “I just finished a visit with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States military at the Northern Command. We are strengthening operational cooperation in the face of challenges and threats in the Middle East.”
“Israel is strong and defends itself on its own, but it is always good to have a strong ally by our side, who shares common values and interests with us,” the chief of staff said.
Halevi then turned to Hezbollah’s efforts to avenge Israel’s killing of its top military commander in Beirut last month.
“About a month ago, we eliminated the most senior military commander in Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr Mohsen, after Hezbollah killed 12 children in Majdal Shams,” Halevi said.
“Yesterday, in a preemptive action, we prevented Hezbollah from another attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel, in the north and center [of the country]. The vast majority of the targets we destroyed yesterday were aimed at the north of the country,” he continued.
Halevi said the IDF is “very determined to continue to harm Hezbollah, to eliminate more and more commanders, and to deprive it of assets and capabilities. We are not stopping.”
“Hezbollah has more capabilities and the work is not yet complete. Our mission is clear, to return the residents of the north to their homes in safety, and the IDF is working toward that end around the clock,” he said.
“We are determined to return the residents of the north to their homes safely as quickly as possible.”
The military later released a separate statement on Halevi’s meeting with Brown at Northern Command headquarters, saying the commanders were “presented with [details of] the ongoing combat against Hezbollah during the war and the operational plans for the future.”
The pair also “discussed security and strategic issues regarding the expansion of operational tools and the strengthening of regional partnerships as part of the response to threats in the Middle East.”
“The IDF will continue to deepen its relationship with the US Armed Forces out of a commitment to strengthening regional stability and the coordination between the two militaries,” the Israeli military added.
Iran nuclear concerns
Halevi and Brown also met with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
“In discussing Iran, Minister Gallant highlighted an all-time high in aggressive activities, as well as Iran’s ongoing pursuit of nuclear capabilities. In this regard, Minister Gallant emphasized that Israel and the United States must be prepared at any time to fulfill their joint commitment to prevent Iran from gaining military nuclear weapons,” said a readout from Gallant’s office.
“Iran’s aggression has reached an all-time high – to counter this, we must work together to achieve and project groundbreaking capabilities in all arenas,” Gallant was quoted as saying.
Channel 12 news reported that in some of the discussions focused on Iran, Israel has expressed its desire to see the US come through on its years-long commitment to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear state — which would require a credible US military threat or military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The network also said that the US has told Israel that it is keeping its armada in the region for the coming weeks, due to the heightened tensions.
As Brown visited, the Pentagon said the US continues to assess that the threat of attack against Israel by Iran and its proxy groups still existed after the Hezbollah attack, with Tehran vowing revenge for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh hours after Shukr was killed in Beirut. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied a role in Haniyeh’s death.
“I would point you to some of the public comments that have been made by Iranian leaders and others… we continue to assess that there is a threat of attack,” Pentagon spokesperson Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters.
Suspected drone attack from Syria
Brown’s meetings with Halevi and Gallant came hours after the IDF confirmed intercepting a “suspicious object” Monday morning that set off drone alerts in the southern Golan Heights.
According to Army Radio, military officials believe the object was launched from Syria, a fairly rare occurrence.
The suspected attack occurred near the Sea of Galilee, near the borders with Jordan and Syria, and far south of the area normally targeted by Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
In the evening, several drones launched from Lebanon impacted in the Upper Galilee, while the Israel Defense Forces said additional UAVs heading toward the Western Galilee were mostly shot down by air defenses.
There were no injuries in the attacks.
The IDF meanwhile carried out numerous airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, and also reportedly targeted a Hamas official in the coastal city of Sidon.
Lebanese media named the target of the alleged Israeli drone strike as Nidal Hleihil. According to the Annahar outlet, two missiles struck Hleihil’s car as he left his house and headed to his vehicle.
The report said he was seriously injured in the strike.
Also Monday, the military published several infographics that it said show Hezbollah rocket launch sites used in Sunday’s attack, during which some 230 rockets and 20 drones were fired from Lebanon.
According to the IDF, 90 percent of the rockets were fired from civilian areas.
“The Hezbollah terrorist organization places its terrorist infrastructure in the middle of the civilian population, using Lebanese civilians as human shields,” the military said.
Israeli officials said that Hezbollah planned to fire hundreds more projectiles, and the IDF’s preemptive strike took out more than half of the intended threats.
The rockets were aimed at northern Israel and the drones at central Israel, including the Glilot base.
No IDF bases were hit in the attack, and none of the drones made it to central Israel.
Since October 8, Hezbollah-led forces have attacked Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis, with the group saying it is doing so to support Gaza amid the war there.
So far, the skirmishes have resulted in 26 civilian deaths on the Israeli side, as well as the deaths of 20 IDF soldiers and reservists. There have also been several attacks from Syria, without any injuries.
Hezbollah has named 430 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. In Lebanon, another 73 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have been killed.
