Israeli War Council Minister Benny Gantz said that the next steps in the war on Gaza will be “strong and profound,” while Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said that the army had approved contingency plans for its northern front on the border with Lebanon.
Gantz stated – in a speech from the Ministry of Defense headquarters yesterday, Wednesday – that the fighting in Gaza continues according to the plans presented by the Chief of Staff, claiming that Israeli forces have eliminated thousands of militants and severely damaged the capabilities of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Gantz continued, saying, “There were those who believed that the Israeli army would not maneuver on the ground, and that the forces were not trained, but reality proved otherwise.” He added that the forces must advance and continue their operation, indicating that the next steps will be strong and profound, as he described it.
Talk has escalated in Israel recently about the unrealistic goals set by the Israeli political and military leadership for the war on Gaza, with the continuing losses incurred by the Israeli army throughout the Strip, and the Palestinian resistance factions, led by the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, continuing to confront the invading forces, as well as to fire rockets. On Israeli settlements and cities.
The number of Israeli soldiers and officers killed has exceeded 500 since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, including more than 160 killed since the start of the ground attack on Gaza on October 27.
Lebanon Front
Gantz touched on the confrontation with the Lebanese Hezbollah, saying, “The situation on the northern border requires change, considering that time is running out for the opportunity for a political settlement, in reference to Western pressure to push the party’s forces to retreat beyond the Litani River.”
Gantz added, “If the world and the Lebanese government do not stop the fire, the Israeli army will do so,” indicating their responsibility for returning the Israelis in the north and south to their homes, and that this process will begin soon in some areas, he said.
For his part, Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said during his visit to the army command in the city of Safed, yesterday, Wednesday, that he had approved plans for a variety of emergency situations on the northern border, and added, “We must be prepared to attack if necessary.”
Halevy continued, “The Israeli army, including the Northern Command, is on a very high state of alert. So far, the campaign here has been managed correctly and accurately, and it must continue in this way. We will not return the residents without a sense of security.”
Hezbollah entered into a confrontation with the occupation forces in the wake of the Al-Aqsa flood, and its pace escalated over time, until it was described as the most dangerous since the 2006 war.