IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited southern Lebanon on Sunday and warned that the ceasefire with Hezbollah remains fragile, saying the military is preparing for the possibility of renewed fighting.
“We are continuing to fight,” Zamir said during a tour of IDF positions, as U.S.-Iran talks were underway in Switzerland. He said Israel’s objective remained unchanged: protecting northern communities and Israeli civilians.
IDF chief holds situational assessment in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF )
“Our goal is clear and remains the same, the defense of the communities of the north and the citizens of Israel,” he said. “That is where we are directing all our efforts. The activity in the Ali Taher and Beaufort areas is also intended to serve that purpose.”
Zamir said the ceasefire declared in Lebanon was unstable and required the military to remain at a high level of readiness.
“The ceasefire that was declared is fragile, and we must be prepared at a high level of readiness for the renewal of combat activity, the thwarting of threats and a rapid transition to attack if required,” he said. “All IDF resources are allocated for this.”
The chief of staff held a situational assessment in southern Lebanon with Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo, 91st Division commander Brig. Gen. Yuval Gaz, commanders of maneuvering brigades and other senior officers.
During the visit, Zamir praised the soldiers and commanders operating in the sector and referred to the deadly tank incident in which Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simhon, 32, Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh, 20, and Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, were killed.
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ליאב כבביה, נוה חבשוש, יואב קליין, דור גדליה בן שמחון
(צילום: דובר צה"ל, באדיבות המשפחה )
“We are paying heavy prices in defending our home. Their fall is painful, and from here I express deep sorrow,” he said.
Zamir said one of the central lessons of the October 7 attack was that Israel would no longer allow radical terrorist organizations to entrench themselves along its borders.
“Hezbollah suffered a severe and deep blow, and we are committed to being prepared to continue acting and prevent its reconstruction,” he said. “It is in very severe distress. In the past two days alone, we thwarted a significant command chain at the intermediate level of the Badr units and other units.”
The tank incident occurred overnight between Thursday and Friday, around 12:20 a.m., when a “suspicious target” struck a tank operated by troops from the 52nd Battalion under the Givati Brigade combat team in the area of the village of Tebnit, near Nabatieh.
The IDF has not yet determined what hit the tank and is examining several possibilities. The military has ruled out an accident or technical malfunction and determined that the tank was struck by an external source, either an explosive drone or an anti-tank missile.