As Hezbollah escalates attacks, IDF chief says forces ‘at very high level of readiness’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi during a visit to the Northern Command says the military is “at a very high level of readiness,” amid escalating Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon.

“Our first task is to return residents safely, and that will take time. Today we approved a variety of plans for the future, and we need to be ready for an offensive, if necessary,” Halevi says in remarks provided by the IDF.

“The IDF and within it the Northern Command are at a very high level of readiness. So far, the campaign here has been managed correctly and meticulously, and this is how it should continue. We will not return the residents without security and a sense of security,” he adds.

Tens of thousands of residents of northern Israel have been evacuated from their communities amid daily Hezbollah rocket, missile and drone attacks.