Israeli army chief says troops need to be ready to launch offensive against Hezbollah

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army needs to be ready to launch an attack against the Lebanese Hezbollah group if necessary, Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said Wednesday.

Halevi, along with the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, and other commanders, conducted a situation assessment, according to a statement from the army.

Saying the army’s primary mission is to return those to their homes who evacuated from the northern regions of Israel due to attacks by Hezbollah, Halevi noted that the preparedness of the Israeli army and the Northern Command is at a high level.

Halevi said the Northern Front approved a series of plans yesterday to continue this effort, adding: "We should be ready to launch an attack if necessary."

Tensions have flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul