Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

IDF chief: Hezbollah terror sites can’t be allowed to return

“We caught this in time, before it was too late,” Herzi Halevi said from an underground bunker in Southern Lebanon before it was destroyed.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi tours a Hezbollah underground terror base in Southern Lebanon before it is destroyed, Oct. 28, 2024. Credit: IDF.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi tours a Hezbollah underground terror base in Southern Lebanon before it is destroyed, Oct. 28, 2024. Credit: IDF.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi earlier this week delivered a video message from an underground Hezbollah base in Southern Lebanon, emphasizing that this sort of terrorist infrastructure cannot be allowed to return.

“We have been saying for years that Hezbollah is preparing the area of the border for war. To the countries that doubted it, to the United Nations, to the UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon] force that was [stationed] up here …We caught this in time, before it was too late, and this infrastructure must not return here in future generations,” said Halevi.

The bunker complex was destroyed shortly afterward.

Speaking to soldiers in one of the tunnels, Halevi stressed that “our task over the years to come will be to make sure that no new [infrastructure] is built.”

The IDF’s work in Lebanon now means that in the future, “you will walk around here, drive around with your grandchildren in the Hula Valley and you will know that you freed the Ramim Ridge from a great threat, a substantial threat,” he said.

The Israeli prime minister has met the U.S. president more than any other world leader since the latter’s return to office.
Alexander Lambsdorff marked his initial official engagement as Berlin’s ambassador-designate by highlighting Germany’s historical responsibility.
The suspect was found carrying metal detectors, excavation tools and archaeological finds.
Former officials tell JNS the relationship now extends far beyond weapons sales into technology, supply chains and shaping regional strategic trends.
Florentine neighborhood becomes a canvas of a nation traumatized by war, but remaining resilient and full of color and life.
Dan Hadani, who documented Israel’s formative decades, reflects on a century of resilience, curiosity and rebuilding.