### The Israeli Army Prepares for a “Decisive Attack” Against Hezbollah
#### Northern Command Leader: “When the time comes and we start the attack, it will be decisive and conclusive.”
An Israeli senior military official stated on Friday that forces in the northern region are preparing for a “decisive attack” against the Lebanese Hezbollah, amidst months of mutual shelling across the border between the two sides.
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, near-daily shelling exchanges have been recorded along the Lebanese-Israeli border between Hezbollah and its allied factions on one side, and the Israeli army on the other.
An Israeli army statement quoted Northern Command Major General Ori Gordin as saying: “We have already eliminated more than 500 terrorists in Lebanon, most of them from Hezbollah, and destroyed thousands of terrorist infrastructures,” according to his statement.
The violence since October has resulted in at least 523 deaths in Lebanon. Most of the casualties are fighters, but among them are at least 104 civilians. On the Israeli side, 18 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed.
The mutual shelling has largely been confined to border areas, where tens of thousands of Lebanese and Israeli residents have been displaced.
The statement highlighted Gordin’s emphasis that “when the time comes and we start the attack, it will be decisive and conclusive,” promising to “change the security reality” in northern Israel.
The escalation of violence and the failure of mediation efforts are raising increasing concerns about the outbreak of a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The two sides have fought several wars, the most recent being in 2006.
Israel demands that the border area on the Lebanese side be free of Hezbollah fighters, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war. The resolution also stipulates that armed presence in southern Lebanon be limited to the Lebanese army and UNIFIL forces.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚