Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the northern border today (Sunday) and assessed the situation, emphasized the results of the fighting so far on the northern front and conveyed a message to Hamas about the return of fighting at the end of the ceasefire.
During the tour, Gallant received an overview of the activities of the forces in the eastern sector of the Lebanese border and the Syrian border, for the defense of the area, thwarting firing squads and exacting a price from Hezbollah and the other terrorist organizations.
At the end of the assessment of the situation, Gallant referred to the Lebanese sector and emphasized the achievements recorded so far. "Here, in the eastern sector of Lebanon, which also looks towards Syria, the fighters are doing an excellent job. The result is the injury and killing of over 100 Hezbollah terrorists, the destruction of dozens of observation posts, warehouses, bunkers and headquarters. And the retreat of the Hezbollah forces from the front, back into the depth of the territory."
He further noted, "These are very impressive results. The combination of all these tactical achievements will translate into a different situation, which will later allow the return of the residents under completely different conditions than when we started this campaign."
Gallant: "We will return to hit Hamas at the end of the truce"
Later, the Minister of Defense mentioned his visit to the Gaza Strip and emphasized the achievements that the IDF forces achieved in the field. "Yesterday I visited the forces in the Gaza Strip, deep in the territory, to study the situation and see the results of the actions of the IDF soldiers," he said.
He also added that "there is someone to trust, the forces are prepared, firm, determined, they have achieved excellent results, these achievements of the manipulative force, they made possible the move that created the conditions for the return of the abductees in the last few days."
Finally, he addressed the issue of the abductees and the continuation of the fighting at the end of the ceasefire. "Every abductee who is brought to the State of Israel is important to us, we will make every effort to bring them all as quickly as possible, we are committed to it, I am personally committed to it."
According to him, "At the same time, the forces are organizing and preparing. At the end of last week I ordered the IDF to prepare for a return to high-intensity combat, we will return to fighting and hit Hamas as soon as the temporary truce intended for the return of abductees ends. We are ready to do this task and we know how to continue to operate until the complete crushing of the Hamas organization and the return of abductees to their homes."
