Israel announces a ‘new phase’ in its conflict after launching a major operation against Hezbollah forces. Discover the latest updates on the evolving situation.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Israel is directing its military resources towards Hezbollah by relocating them to the north. This decision followed a massive operation believed to have been carried out by Israeli intelligence services which resulted in thousands of pagers and radios belonging to the Lebanese paramilitary group being destroyed.
Gallant addressed troops at the Ramat David Airbase near Haifa, stating that a fresh phase of Israel’s ongoing war was commencing. This new stage would concentrate on Hezbollah instead of Hamas.
According to a statement released by his office on social media, he said “Our focus is shifting north as the center of gravity moves. We are reallocating energy, resources and forces in that direction.”
For almost a year now, Hezbollah has been carrying out a military campaign with low intensity against Israel. The reason behind it is to engage Israeli forces near the border of Lebanon and prevent their deployment in Gaza as stated by its leader Hassan Nasrallah. However, Gallant and other officials from Israel have threatened several times that they would launch an offensive into Lebanon in response to this situation.
Just under 60 days ago, the Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz made public his statement that Israel was getting ready for a full-blown conflict with Hezbollah. He further stated that he would refrain from clarifying the vastly unequal attack strategy to be employed at the onset of such war.
READ ALSO: US Denies Involvement in Lebanon Pager Explosions Targeting Hezbollah Fighters
On Tuesday, thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded throughout Lebanon without prior warning causing the death of approximately twelve individuals including two children and around 3,000 others sustained injuries. On Wednesday yet another attack occurred aimed at handheld walkie-talkies resulting in a second wave of explosions killing no less than fourteen people while leaving almost 500 wounded.
Although Israeli authorities have remained silent about the blasts, sources from Lebanon, Israel and America all point to Mossad intelligence agency of Israel as responsible. Axios reported that US and Israeli sources revealed how Mossad prepared thousands of communication devices for explosive detonation in order to launch an attack against Hezbollah remotely – potentially sparking a large-scale war.
According to an American official speaking with Axios, Mossad made the decision to trigger the devices prematurely as a precaution against their explosive charges being uncovered and thus hindering their plan.
Although Israeli officials, including Gallant, have frequently warned of intensifying their efforts against Hezbollah in recent months, his remarks on Wednesday were accompanied by action. Specifically, the IDF’s 98th Division was transferred from Gaza to northern Israel earlier that day.
Hezbollah declared on Wednesday that it places complete blame for the pager attacks on the Israeli enemy and assured a challenging retaliation in return.
