Israel’s War Cabinet convened on Tuesday evening to discuss the escalation on the northern border. The discussion took place at the request of Minister Benny Gantz following the last 24 hours, during which many fires broke out across areas close to the border with Lebanon following Hezbollah missile barrages.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held a tour and situation assessment Tuesday with the Israel Fire and Rescue Services Commissioner Eyal Caspi at the military’s Gibor base on the northern border. The chief of staff told the Golani Brigade commanders on the northern border: "We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the IDF is prepared and very ready for this decision.”
“We have been striking here for eight months and Hezbollah is paying a very, very high price," Halevi said. "Hezbollah has increased its attacks in recent days and we are prepared after a very good process of training up to the level of a General Staff exercise to move to an offensive in the north. Strong defense, readiness for an offensive, we are approaching a decision point."
Fire Commissioner Eyal Caspi said: "The collaborations that take place routinely with the IDF lead to the required preparation and readiness of both bodies and are implemented in practice also in wartime, while maximizing the relative advantage of each of the formations for the benefit of the State of Israel."
The Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) noted that tens of thousands of dunams of natural forest have burned and added that the fire damage in the north at this stage is twice that seen throughout the Second Lebanon War.
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IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi on the northern border
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
KKL-JNF Chairwoman Ifat Ovadia-Luski held a situation assessment on Tuesday that indicated the estimated damage is currently twice that of the Second Lebanon War, and it is expected to grow even more after all of the fires are surveyed thoroughly. “The damage in the north is immense and is still difficult to assess. The restoration work will be significant,” Ovadia-Luski said.
Gantz and Minister Gadi Eizenkot met with northern municipality heads on Tuesday at the Mateh Asher Regional Council. Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council, criticized the government's actions during the meeting. "We’re eight months into the war, and residents of the north feel abandoned. As government ministers, you should know that the north is transparent before your eyes,” he said.
Meanwhile, amid the increasing escalation on the northern front, Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem told Al-Jazeera that "if Israel wants to fight a full-scale war, we’re ready for it."
"Any Israeli action to widen the war against Lebanon will lead to destruction and displacement in Israel. The resistance is ready for battle and won’t allow Israel to achieve victory," he said.
"We don’t intend to widen the war, but we’ll fight if it is forced upon us. We have received threats in recent months and responded by saying the Lebanese front is connected to Gaza. The claims of the Radwan force withdrawing from the Lebanon border are false. We used a small section of our capabilities, proportionate to the nature of the fighting," Qassem added.