Israel-Hamas War Latest Update: As Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon intensifies following its leader Hassan Nasrallah’s statement, Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi has said that his forces are ready to strike in the north at any moment.
Halevi, the Chief of General Staff, made these remarks during a meeting in the Northern Command on Sunday.
“We have a clear goal of restoring a significantly better security situation at the borders, not only in the Gaza Strip… We are ready to strike in the north at any moment,” he said in a statement released by the Israel Defence Forces on X.
The statement is significant as it comes amid US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s tour to a number of Middle East countries amid fears of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war spiraling into a wider regional conflict.
It also comes amid intensified Hezbollah attacks in northern Israel from Labonese territory. Hezbollah has ramped up it’s strikes following its leader Hassan Nasrallah’s address in which he had said that they are duty bound to support Hamas.
Earlier on Saturday, Nasrallah had warned Israel against any preemptive attack on Lebanon. Although Nasrallah didn’t commit to an all-out war, he threatened Israel that “what is happening along the Israel-Lebanon border is not the end”.
“…We already entered the battle on October 8. Some would like Hezbollah to engage in an all-out war, but I can tell you: What is happening now along the Israeli-Lebanese border is significant, and it is not the end,” he had said.
Israel is engaged in a bloody battle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip for the last one month following the brutal October 7 attack on its territory by the Palestinian militant group. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting Hamas until victory.
However, the pressure on Israel is intensifying as Arab countries demand immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The US, which has been standing firmly with Israel since the October 7 attack, has also started pushing for a humanitarian pause (although different from a ceasefire).