IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Israel-Lebanon border for a situation assessment on Wednesday and told security officials that the Israeli military is in a “very strong state of readiness in the north.”
Halevi’s visit came one day after Hamas deputy political leader Saleh al-Arouri and other Hamas members were killed in an alleged Israeli air strike in southern Beirut. Iran-backed Hizbullah has vowed to retaliate for al-Arouri’s killing.
“We are in a very strong state of readiness in the north. I visit here a lot and think that the readiness is at its peak,” Halevi said.
He added that while Israel is “in a very good state of readiness in all sectors,” the focus remains on fighting Hamas for now.
Hizbullah has been firing missiles and drones into northern Israel daily since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. Thousands of residents of northern Israel have been evacuated from their homes, preventing numerous casualties, but the missiles fired from Lebanon have caused significant property damage.
Sources inside and outside Lebanon have indicated that despite Hizbullah’s rhetoric and its firing of missiles into Israel, it is unlikely to want a full-scale war.
On Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning, the IDF launched a series of strikes against Hizbullah targets and operatives in southern Lebanon, eliminating a cell that was preparing to fire at Israel. The IDF stated that early Thursday Hizbullah fired several missiles towards Israel.
Hizbullah claimed that five of its operatives were killed fighting on Wednesday, bringing its total casualty count to 143 since the war in Gaza began. Israel reported no casualties among its northern forces.