‘What we did in Gaza can also be done in Beirut,’ Defense Minister Gallant said.
By JNS
Israeli Air Force fighter jets carried out extensive strikes in Southern Lebanon on Tuesday, close to the border towns of Aita al-Shaab, Ramyeh and Meiss ej-Jabal, according to Lebanese media.
Prior to the strikes, Israeli reconnaissance drones flew over several Lebanese towns near the frontier, according to the reports.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror army has been waging a low-intensity conflict against Israel since Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre of 1,200 people in the Jewish state.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a situation assessment on Monday at the IDF’s Northern Command, where he was briefed on operational activities along the border.
Gallant emphasized that the conflict in the north would continue until the security situation is improved so some 80,000 evacuated residents can return to their homes.
“Fire was opened on Israel’s north without any Israeli provocation, and as a result of Hezbollah’s decision,” said Gallant. “We will not allow a return to the previous situation we were in until Oct. 6. We are hitting Hezbollah very hard—they have lost around 150 [terrorists], they have infrastructure that has been damaged, they have been pushed far in from the fence line, and the air force flies freely over Lebanon. We will expand our efforts,” he added.
“Hezbollah looks at what is happening in Gaza and it understands very well—what we did in Gaza can also be done in Beirut. We do not want this scenario, but we will not leave the residents [of Israel’s north] without protection, and we will return them to their homes,” said Gallant.
Overnight Monday, terrorists in Lebanon fired several rockets towards the northern town of Manara.
There were no reports of injuries in the town, which has been largely evacuated due to repeated Hezbollah anti-tank missile attacks.
Earlier Monday, terrorists in Lebanese territory launched a surface-to-air missile at an Israeli aircraft.
The missile did not strike the aircraft, which completed its mission successfully, according to the military.
בשעות האחרונות זוהו שני שיגורים משטח לבנון לעבר מרחב מנרה.
במהלך היום, כוחותינו תקפו את מקור הירי ושתי עמדות שיגור לצד מרחבים נוספים בשטח לבנון.
בנוסף, מוקדם יותר היום, שוגר טיל קרקע אוויר משטח לבנון לעבר כלי טיס של חיל האוויר שפעל במרחב. הטיל לא פגע בכלי שסיים את משימתו בהצלחה pic.twitter.com/0SCgWL4Owx
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) December 25, 2023
Also on Monday, the IDF began closing communities and roads along the Lebanese border following a military assessment. These closures impact the Upper Galilee, Mevo’ot HaHermon and Mateh Asher regional councils.
There was a series of incidents at the northern border on Monday afternoon, including an anti-tank missile fired at Kibbutz Misgav Am from Lebanese territory. There were no reports of injuries and the IDF responded by firing at the source of the launch.
Furthermore, two anti-tank missiles were fired at Moshav Beit Hillel, also in the Galilee, with no reports of casualties.
On Sunday, the IAF completed an extensive wave of attacks on Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon.
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