The military will stay “on the attack” against Hezbollah, 91st Division Commander Brig.-Gen. Yuval Gaz told a group of northern border region leaders on Wednesday.
“Our responsibility is that we don’t only react but also to preempt, to initiate [attacks] in order to [better] defend. Any place where the IDF needs to act – we will act,” Gaz told the regional leaders, alongside the Defense Ministry northern coordinator Nochi Mendel.
The commander said, “I am here to tell you that we are preparing for various scenarios. We have operational plans to act immediately, and our forces are distributed along the entire border and deep into the territory.”
Although Israel withdrew most of its forces from southern Lebanon within months of the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, it has kept five outposts in southern Lebanon, along the border, with some several hundred to 1,000 or so soldiers stationed there to ensure there will be no surprise attack penetration into Israel.
Next, Gaz said that regarding “any operational challenge, we will be on the frontlines so that the enemy will encounter the military and not civilians,” noting the IDF is aware of the public discourse on the issue and will make sure to guarantee civilian safety at all times.
“This is our command, and this is the standard to which we are committed: full defense of the residents at all times and in every scenario,” he said.
During the meeting, Gaz presented the regional leaders with the most up-to-date operational situation, a summary of the division’s recent activities, and goals that the unit has set for 2026, such as continuing to improve the defenses of northern border towns.
According to Gaz, tight cooperation with the regional leaders and their local security coordinators is a core aspect of the security concept for the area, which multiplies the overall power brought to bear to defend the area.
There have been some raised tensions on the border given the increased possibility of a US-Iran-Israel conflict on the horizon, with some officials worried that Hezbollah might also attack the Jewish state if the Iranian regime appeared to be on its last legs.
However, the IDF has kept up a steady – and sometimes even increasing – pace of attacks on Hezbollah operatives and locations recently, both to deter such a scenario and to kinetically remove Hezbollah’s capacity to attack Israel with rockets even if it wanted to do so.