TEL AVIV, February 9. /TASS/. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is getting ready to expand combat operations and go on the offensive in the north along the border with Lebanon, Commanding Officer of the Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin said in a statement.

"Our (IDF’s - TASS) goal is to change the security situation in the north [of Israel] in a manner that will allow us to safely return the residents home to a state of security. We are determined to change the security reality that is already shifting these days and continue to prepare for an expansion of the war [in Israel’s north] and to go on the offensive - this is our mission," he said, as quoted by the IDDF press service.

"We will continue to carry out the defensive battle, to strike Hezbollah [in Lebanon] and to deny its capabilities," he added.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and over 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.

Tensions are high along Israel’s northern border, as it is regularly shelled from Lebanon with the IDF returning fire. Hezbollah facilities are targeted. More than 80,000 Israelis have been evacuated from those border areas.