During a tour of the western sector of the northern border on Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Galant assessed the situation and received an overview of the air, sea and ground activity being carried out to defend the communities and attack Hezbollah. Galant spoke with the soldiers and commanders in the reserves, and expressed his appreciation for their significant contribution.
Subsequently, a meeting was held in Nahariya with the heads of municipalities and councils in the north. Minister Galant reviewed the military operations being carried out in the northern region against Hezbollah's aggression, and emphasized that he is committed to changing the security situation in the region so that the residents return to their homes safely. "When we complete the process of fighting in Gaza, we will be in a different reality in which the military effort will be directed mainly to the north, because the proportion between Hezbollah and Hamas is known to us," he said.
Received an overview of air, naval and ground operations. Yoav Galant in the north, Hoim, Photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense
On the burning question of the residents of the north who left their homes, the refugees in their country, Galant said: "We will return the residents to their homes only when conditions are created to do so and we will be sure that we can give them protection, which will be built on a different scope of forces. Where there was a battalion, there will be a brigade, there will be a different defense, there will be a different security component, there will be a comprehensive defense concept with a different order of battle and with a different presence."
He further emphasized the IDF's activity in the northern sector and the deterrence they create vis-à-vis Hezbollah: "They have over a hundred fatalities and very significant hits on observation posts, headquarters and weapons depots. We will base this into something that is an understanding and operational expansion of the sector, so that it will be clear that there are no threats in the area of the contact line - not with anti-tank fire, not with a presence on the border and certainly not with forces that can raid into the territory of the State of Israel up close. The more we succeed in achieving this in Gaza, the clearer things will be here. Any person in Lebanon can take the map, the aerial photograph of Gaza, put it on the aerial photograph of Beirut and ask himself if this is what he wants to happen there. The clearer we reach the achievement, the clearer it will be."
Mayors of the Confrontation Line Forum, today, photo: Asher Headquarters Spokesperson
Regarding the possible solution for dealing with Hezbollah, Galant gave two options: "There is one possibility that we will reach a different agreement, which could be similar to the 2 agreement, mediated by international bodies. They will respect our presence, our existence and our security, and we will respect the other side. The second possibility is that we will be forced to do this thing by force. We don't want war, but if we reach a situation where we need to establish security here, we won't hesitate – just like we didn't hesitate in the south."
Galant on tour of the north, today, photo: Ariel Hermony, Ministry of Defense
Moshe Davidovitch, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum, says that he presented to the defense minister points relating to all the authorities on the conflict line, including: legal regulation of the activity of alert squads and local emergency teams, including their recruitment, enlarging and regulating all security components in localities in order to maintain the security concept, a request to extend the compensation track for businesses urgently, indemnification for the destruction of municipal infrastructure and agricultural land, and the issue of the northern defense plan. According to him, the minister promised to bring all the items presented to the government for approval, and to operate everything jointly with the relevant authorities and government ministries, including their inclusion in the Northern Horizon Administration program.
The heads of the councils from the Upper Galilee chose not to attend the Galant meeting. Giora Saltz, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, said today that "the budget amendments and coalition funds devoted to political ethnicity and not to war matters are further proof of the Israeli government's detachment from reality on the ground."
"Proof of the Israeli government's detachment from reality on the ground." Giora Saltz, Head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council, Photo: Eyal Margolin/Ginny
He continued: "In the past two months, the Upper Galilee Regional Council has spent millions of shekels on equipment for community defense fighters (alert squads), adjusting shelters, protecting communities, and much more. Our residents, who were not evicted by the state, spent a large budget on housing solutions alongside municipal taxes for their empty homes. And of course the economy in the region is paralyzed, businesses are closed, industry, agriculture, tourism are without workers, without operating permits and almost no operation."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us