The Israel Defense Forces has “begun a ground maneuver in Lebanon to remove threats and protect the residents of the Galilee and the north,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a situation assessment with top military and security officials on Monday.
He added that hundreds of thousands of Shi’ite residents of Southern Lebanon “will not return to their homes south of the Litani [River] area until the safety of northern residents is guaranteed.”
Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed the military “to act and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in the contact villages along the Lebanese border—to prevent threats and Hezbollah’s return to the area—exactly as it was done against Hamas in Gaza in Rafah, Beit Hanoun and other large areas that were neutralized, and as is being done now against the terror tunnels in Gaza.”
He delivered a personal message to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, warning that the terrorist organization “will pay a heavy price for its aggression and its activity in the Iranian axis aimed at destroying Israel. Those who sought to destroy us were destroyed and will be destroyed.
“If Naim Qassem misses Nasrallah and Khamenei so much, he will be able to meet them soon in the depths of hell, along with all the eliminated members of the Axis of Evil. We promised security to the residents of the north, and that is exactly what we will deliver,” Katz said.
