General Herzi Halevi has told Israeli soldiers that the air attacks on Lebanon would continue in order to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure and to prepare the way for a possible ground offensive.
“You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day,” the Israeli army chief told troops on the border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the military.
“This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah,” he added.
The goal, he said, is to safely return the residents of the north.
“To achieve that, we are preparing the process of a maneuver, which means your military boots, your maneuvering boots, enter enemy territory, enter villages that Hezbollah has prepared as large military outposts, with underground infrastructure, staging points, and launchpads into our territory and carry out attacks on Israeli civilians.
“Your entry into those areas with force, your encounter with Hezbollah operatives, that they will see what it means to face a professional, highly skilled, and battle-experienced force. You are coming in much stronger and far more experienced than they are.”
General Herzi Halevi
“Hezbollah today expanded its [range] of fire. Later today, it will receive a very strong response,” he noted, adding, “We are not stopping.” We will keep attacking and harming them everywhere,” Halevi told a tank unit along the border with Lebanon.
“Go in, destroy the enemy there, and go destroy the infrastructure.
“These are the things that will allow us to safely repatriate the residents of the north later.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his promise to return the tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated from northern border areas and settlements, and said Hezbollah is being hit “harder than it could imagine.”
“I can’t go into detail about everything we do. But I can tell you one thing: We are determined to return our residents in the north safely to their homes,” he said in a brief video message that did not comment on reported US-led efforts to secure a ceasefire deal.
Last week, Netanyahu expanded his goals for the war on Gaza to include enabling Israelis who fled areas near the Lebanese border to return to their homes.
There has been almost daily cross-border fire between Israeli forces and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since Israel began its war on Gaza nearly a year ago.
Netanyahu Expanding Genocidal Campaign To Lebanon
US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan stated that the Biden-Harris administration continues to allow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government to “operate with impunity as they carry out war crimes.”
“After facing no red line in Gaza, in an attempt to remain in power, Netanyahu is now expanding his genocidal campaign to Lebanon, using the same tactics the Biden-Harris administration has endorsed,” she said.
“The same US weapons being used to kill innocent civilians in Gaza have already claimed the lives of over 500 people in Lebanon, including over 50 children, and have injured thousands more civilians,” she said in a statement.
“Deploying more US troops and sending more US bombs will only lead to more suffering and carnage. The Biden-Harris administration is capable of stopping the bloodshed. President Biden must implement an immediate arms embargo to end the slaughter and de-escalate the risk of a wider regional war.”
Rashida Tlaib
Meanwhile, Lama Fakih, HRW’s Middle East and North Africa Director, noted in a statement that United Nations “member states should take urgent action to establish an independent inquiry into violations during the current hostilities.”
According to the statement, “More than 1,000 Israeli strikes across Lebanon that have killed hundreds of people and injured thousands are placing civilians across the country at grave risk of harm,” HRW said in a statement.
It added, “The presence of a Hezbollah commander, rocket launcher, or other military facility in a populated area does not justify attacking the area without regard to the civilian population.”
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