Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (left) speaks with IDF Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin at the unit’s HQ in Safed, February 25, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will increase its strikes on Hezbollah in response to its daily attacks on northern Israel, including amid a potential temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“We are planning to increase the firepower against Hezbollah, which is unable to find replacements for the commanders we are eliminating,” Gallant says during a visit to the IDF Northern Command headwaters in Safed.
IDF troops operate in the Gaza Strip in a photo cleared for publication on February 25, 2024. (IDF.)
“In the event of a temporary truce in Gaza, we will increase the fire in the north, and will continue until the full withdrawal of Hezbollah [from the border] and the return of the residents to their homes,” he says, referring to some 80,000 Israelis displaced by Hezbollah’s attacks.
“The goal is simple — to push Hezbollah back to where it should be. Either by agreement, or we will do it by force,” Gallant adds.
Palestinians search the rubble for victims following Israeli bombardment on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 24, 2024.
