As strikes deepen, Israel warns Hezbollah it can 'transition' from Gaza to Lebanon
With Hamas no longer "an immediate significant threat," the Israeli military has been preparing to focus on the border with Lebanon.
TEL AVIV — If Hezbollah continues firing into northern Israel, the border region with Lebanon could soon replace Gaza as the Israeli military's main focus.
The Northern Command of the Israeli military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), announced Wednesday that it had completed its training of battalion commanders for a potential all-out war with Hezbollah. The preparation for a possible offensive in Lebanon was based, inter alia, on lessons learned from almost six months of fighting in Gaza.
Also on Wednesday, the IDF announced that the Israel Air Force had returned to conducting exercises in recent weeks, after their suspension during the intense phase of fighting in Gaza, and that plans had been approved to upgrade its preparedness for fighting on Israel’s northern front.
"The Israel Air Force has been drilling for massive, long-range attacks in the depth of enemy territory, decision-making under conditions of war and various surprise exercises," the IDF statement read.
