Katz: Over 200 Hezbollah operatives killed yesterday, group is ‘pleading for a ceasefire’

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that more than 200 Hezbollah operatives were killed in yesterday’s major wave of strikes across Lebanon, and that the terror group is “pleading for a ceasefire.”

“Operation Eternal Darkness was a very powerful blow to Hezbollah, leaving it stunned and confused by the depth of the penetration and the scale of the strike,” says Katz in a video statement.

“More than 200 terrorists were eliminated yesterday, bringing the number of those eliminated in this campaign to over 1,400. more than double the number in the Second Lebanon War,” he says.

Katz says Hezbollah is “pleading for a ceasefire, and its Iranian patrons are also applying pressure and issuing threats, out of serious concern that Israel will crush Hezbollah.”

“The IDF is prepared and ready to act with force if Iran fires at Israel,” he says.

Katz also details the IDF’s efforts to establish a new “security zone” in southern Lebanon, saying it includes “four lines.”

The first is the border line, where he says the IDF will raze Lebanese villages to prevent Hezbollah from using them to stage attacks on Israel.

The second is the “defensive line” in Lebanon, where the IDF currently holds five forward army posts. Katz says it will be expanded to 15 posts in southern Lebanon.

The third is the “anti-tank line” from which Hezbollah could launch anti-tank guided missiles directly at Israeli communities. The IDF said on Tuesday that it had completed its deployment along this line.

The fourth is the Litani River, where Katz says the IDF will “prevent further infiltration of terrorists and the return of residents southward.”

“At the same time, the IDF will strike from the air… with great force, the terrorists and [rocket] launchers in the Litani area and launch sites across Lebanon outside the Litani area,” he adds.