IDF chief: Fight against Hezbollah ‘has only just begun’; terror group will be ‘isolated’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the fighting against Hezbollah “has only just begun,” and after the war with Iran, the Lebanese terror group will remain “isolated.”

“Iran is our primary effort, and the northern arena is another central arena. They are interconnected. The Hezbollah terror organization constitutes a central proxy of the Iranian terror regime, and it made a grave mistake when it chose to join the campaign against Israel. This choice harms it and the State of Lebanon as a whole,” Zamir said yesterday while approving battle plans at the Northern Command.

“The message is clear: There is no safe haven for the regime and its proxies, any threat to Israeli citizens will be met with a determined, precise, and powerful response,” he said, according to remarks published today by the military.

“In recent weeks, we have achieved significant accomplishments; we have struck more than 2,000 targets, dozens of weapons depots, and eliminated hundreds of terrorists,” Zamir said, adding that “the campaign against Hezbollah has only just begun.”

“At the end of the campaign in Iran, Hezbollah will be left alone and isolated. This is a prolonged campaign, and we are prepared for it,” he said.

Zamir said that the military is preparing to “deepen” its ground offensive in southern Lebanon and airstrikes against the terror group: “We will not stop until the threat is pushed away from the border and long-term security for the residents of the north is ensured.”

“We are prepared for a long campaign and will continue to act as required, in both offense and defense, to ensure the long-term security of the residents of the north,” he added.