Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met Thursday with the Emergency Preparedness Committee, which held a home front preparedness exercise for a war scenario in the north. "It’s one step out of 10" against Hezbollah, Gallant said.
More stories:
"The IDF still has a very strong and significant force. The Air Force jets that are now flying above Lebanon have more massive bombs for more distant targets." The IDF confirmed it eliminated Ali Mohammed Dibes, a senior commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force, his deputy and another member of the terror organization.
IDF attacks in southern Lebanon
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Since Thursday morning, the IDF has attacked dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, however, Gallant clarified: "We do not want to go to war, but are interested in returning the residents of the north to their homes through an agreement."
"We are here after an intense day in the north. Hezbollah has moved up half a click – but it’s one step out of 10. We can attack not just 20 km, but even at 50 km, in Beirut and anywhere else, the IDF is a very strong and significant force," Gallant added.
"If there is no choice, we will work to return them and create the appropriate security conditions for them. This should be clear to both our enemies and our allies, and as the State of Israel, the security establishment and the IDF have proven in recent months, when we say it, we mean it."
3 View gallery
Gallant attended an exercise of the Emergency Preparedness Committee
(Photo: Ariel Hermoni, IMoD)
"In order to win the war, cooperation between the Air Force and the army is not enough, we also need full cooperation of the organizations in the country. Essentially, the mayors and the heads of the regional councils are the most significant factor that solves the problem for the citizen," Gallant further added.
"We have no interest in war, but we must prepare," Gallant warned. "The planes that are currently flying over Lebanon have targets and they know how to change the attack locations as necessary. In the event of a war, the toll for the State of Israel will be substantial, but will be catastrophic for Lebanon and Hezbollah. We should use the old Roman proverb that says: "If you want peace, prepare for war."
The Emergency Preparedness Committee held a home front preparedness exercise for a war scenario in the northern arena, which includes the possibility of challenges in supplying power, transporting food and evacuating complex patients from their homes to hospitals. During the discussion, Gallant said he intends to hold a series of exercises to promote the civilian readiness for a war scenario in the north, requesting to establish a defense system for Israel's strategic assets.
"We will continue our operations in the Rafah area"
"The war in Gaza is progressing in a very impressive way, the military plan is working and we control the north of the Gaza Strip, we mostly control Khan Younis above and below the ground, and we will continue our operations in the Rafah area and other places," Gallant said.
"At the end of the day, Hamas as a military and political organization will not exist in the Gaza Strip," Gallant added. "This is a government decision, and the security establishment will fully implement it. It will take a long time, but at the end of the day this process will end for the simple reason that we cannot keep living in a reality where our women and children are kidnapped, and we live as if nothing happened."