A senior defense source says that Israel is moving closer to a military campaign in Lebanon. However, the exact date is still undecided, he said.
The official told N12 News that the IDF is finalizing preparations for a large-scale operation and ground maneuvers in Lebanon. War with Hezbollah could erupt quickly if a ceasefire deal is not reached, he warned.
Speaking at the weekly government session, PM Netanyahu stated that the current situation on the Lebanon front cannot continue. Notably, Hezbollah has been firing barrages of dozens of rockets at northern Israel towns in recent days.
Attacks from Lebanon have increased sharply since the start of the conflict, with over 1,300 rockets fired in August, the highest monthly total so far.
Terrorists in Lebanon timed some barrages to coincide with the end of the school day, when children are returning home. In response, the IDF mapped school bus routes and pickup locations to adjust the priorities of Iron Dome air defenses in the region.
IDF knocks out launchers
Meanwhile, the IDF is methodically bombing rocket launchers in Lebanon ahead of a potential large-scale operation against Hezbollah, according to a Ynet report by military journalist Ron Ben-Yishai. The air campaign aims to reduce the threat to Israel’s home front in case a large war erupts.
The IDF is also improving the interception rate of incoming Hezbollah drones, the report said.
In parallel, the IDF Northern Command ordered officers to increase pinpoint attacks to neutralize Hezbollah operatives, Walla News reported.
The army granted commanders greater autonomy, bypassing the need for approval from senior levels to speed up elimination operations.
According to Ynet, Israeli officials estimate that a major operation in Lebanon will be launched very soon, due to Hezbollah’s rejection of a deal to withdraw from the border area. An Israeli assault will be carried out by Air Force, Navy, and infantry forces operating inside Lebanon, the report says.
Hezbollah arsenal inflated?
As war tensions rise, the IDF is reassessing the size of Hezbollah’s arsenal. The army says previous reports that Hezbollah’s firepower includes up to 180,000 rockets and missiles are inflated, Israel Hayom reported.
The IDF estimates that Hezbollah’s arsenal on August 25, before Israel launched a major preemptive strike, mostly consisted of mortar shells, 5,000 mid-range rockets and fewer than 40,000 short-range rockets.
However, the army says that thousands of rockets were destroyed in Israel’s strikes on August 25.
The IDF also estimates that Hezbollah positioned over 2,400 members of its elite Radwan Unit along the Israel-Lebanon border before the current conflict.
Yet now only hundreds of operatives remain, the army says, half of them still in southern Lebanon but further away from the border.
