The minister inspected the headquarters of the Northern Military Command in Safed, which was hit earlier this February by a missile fired from southern Lebanon, resulting in the death of a female soldier.
Talks are being held to reach an agreement that would lead to Hamas releasing hostages it is holding, and a temporary truce in the ongoing war in Gaza.
Since then, there has been almost daily exchange of bombardment between Israel and Hezbollah, which fuels fears of a regional escalation, noting that Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah movement are supported by Iran.
Gallant said he was keen to assess how Israel combats Hezbollah's increasing activities across the heavily fortified border.
Statements of the Israeli Defense Minister in a video message:
- He said: “Anyone who believes that when we reach an agreement to release hostages in the south and when the shooting stops, the intensity of what is happening here will decrease, is wrong.”
- He stressed that “Israel's goal is to ensure that Hezbollah does not pose a threat emanating from the border areas in southern Lebanon.”
- “If a diplomatic solution to the situation cannot be found, we will do so by force,” he warned.
On Sunday, the Israeli army announced that it had intercepted a “suspicious air target” in the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel, and had also “detected rocket launches from Lebanese territory into Israel.”
Since October 7, 276 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 191 Hezbollah members and 44 civilians, including 3 journalists, according to a tally compiled by Agence France-Presse.
In Israel, the army counted the deaths of 10 soldiers and 6 civilians.
The Israeli attack on Gaza led to the deaths of at least 29,692 people, most of them children and women, according to the latest toll published by the Ministry of Health in Gaza on Sunday.
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