Israeli media reported that Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant appeared to hint on Monday at a possible ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Several media outlets quoted Gallant as telling armored forces near the Lebanese border, “Eliminating Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the end. To safely return the residents of the north to their homes, we will activate all our capabilities, including you.”
He continued, “We trust in your ability to accomplish anything.” He added, “I say here to the reserve men and the regular men – everything that needs to be done will be done. Our goal is to return the people of the north to their homes, and to achieve this we will be ready to make every effort.”
He added, “This is your mission, and this is the mission of the IDF, and this is what we will do and we will use everything necessary, your forces and other forces from the air, sea and land.”
On the other hand, Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, said in his first public speech since Israel assassinated the Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, last Friday, that the group is ready to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.
He added that Israel will not achieve its goals.
Qassem said, “We will face any possibility if the Israeli (army) decides to enter by ground… The resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement.”
The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that more than a thousand Lebanese were killed and six thousand injured during the past two weeks, without specifying the number of civilians among them. The government said that one million people, equivalent to a fifth of the population, were displaced from their homes.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said that more than 100,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated this month.
In recent days, Israel has transferred its military weight from Gaza to Lebanon, which has witnessed daily Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets in particular, including the assassination of Nasrallah.
The Ministry of Health announced that 105 people were killed and 359 wounded as a result of the Israeli attacks on Sunday.
Almost a year after the start of the exchange of bombing across the border, Israel began intensive air strikes on targets in various areas in Lebanon on September 23.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging cross-border shelling on a daily basis since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israeli sites and areas on October 7, and Israel responded with a continuing military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army announced about a week ago that it was continuing its air strikes in Lebanon, as part of an operation it called “Arrows of the North.”
Hezbollah announces the launch of missiles towards Israeli sites, and defense systems often intercept most of them.
