IDF to further bolster troops in north amid fighting with Hezbollah

The IDF says it is further bolstering troops in northern Israel amid the fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, following a fresh assessment, ordered a “broad reinforcement” of troops in the Northern Command, “as part of strengthening readiness for various offensive and defensive scenarios,” the military says in a statement.

The army says the deployment will include forces from the standing army, including the 98th Division with two brigade-level combat teams and combat engineering battalions.

Reservist forces from the 252nd Division will be mobilized and deployed to the Gaza Strip to swap out the standing army units who are being sent to the Northern Command. In the Central Command, the IDF will also be extending the duty time of several reserve battalions.

The military deployed troops deeper into southern Lebanon last week, saying it aims to “establish a forward defense that will create an additional security layer for the residents of the north.”

So far, the IDF says it has conducted over 1,100 strikes in Lebanon since the hostilities escalated when Hezbollah began attacking Israel earlier this month.

They include 190 targets of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, 200 rocket and missile launchers, 35 command centers and 80 multi-story buildings that were used by the terror group, the military says.

The IDF says it has also killed over 380 members of Hezbollah and other terror groups during the fighting.