The targeted killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut is a “very important” achievement but is only one of the steps Israel is taking to defeat Iran’s ring of fire surrounding the Jewish state, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on the northern border on Monday.
Nasrallah’s death along with other terrorist leaders in an Israeli Air Force strike on Sept. 27 “is a very important step, but it is not the final one,” Gallant told soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces’ 188th Armored and Golani brigades, according to his office.
“We will employ all the capabilities at our disposal, and if someone on the other side did not understand what those capabilities entail, we mean all capabilities, and you are part of this effort,” the defense minister said. “We trust you to accomplish every mission at hand.
“Our goal is to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” he added. “We will use all the means that may be required—your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land.”
IDF commanders on the border briefed Gallant on the “readiness of troops for the possibility of expanding activities in the northern arena,” according to the Defense Ministry readout of the visit.
Nasrallah was killed on Friday in a strike on Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in the heart of Beirut’s southern district. Israeli fighter jets dropped at least a dozen 2,000-pound bunker-buster bombs during the attack on the top terror leader, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
Israel has escalated attacks on Hezbollah since adding the return of evacuated civilians to their homes in the north as an official war goal on Sept. 17.
Hezbollah has attacked the Jewish state nearly daily since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles and drones. The attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of civilians remain internally displaced due to the violence.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told his counterparts in 25 countries that the enforcement of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 is the only way that Jerusalem will agree to a truce with the Iranian proxy.
Resolution 1701 stipulates that Hezbollah is not allowed to operate anywhere south of the Litani River, which is located some 18 miles (30 kilometers) north of the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
The Security Council resolution, which was passed following the 2006 Second Lebanon War conflict between the IDF and Hezbollah and ratified by both Beirut and Jerusalem, also calls for the Lebanese terrorist group to be disarmed.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati claimed on Monday that Beirut remains committed to the ceasefire proposal endorsed by the United States and France and would work to implement Resolution 1701.
Mikati said Beirut was prepared to deploy the Lebanese Armed Forces south of the Litani River, according to an official government statement.
The remarks came after the caretaker leader met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a powerful ally of Hezbollah. During the meeting, Mikati conveyed his “heartfelt condolences for the martyrdom of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and other victims,” the official readout noted.
On Saturday, the Lebanese government announced a three-day mourning period for the slain Hezbollah leader. Mikati declared that Lebanon would observe a mourning period from Monday through Wednesday, which would include the lowering of flags to half-mast.
At the start of a Cabinet meeting, Mikati called on lawmakers to observe a moment of silence. He said that Beirut “is doing everything in its power to confront this destructive, hateful war waged by Israel.”
