TEL AVIV, March 25. /TASS/. Israel is continuing its active operations against the combat units of the Shiite organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, the Prime Minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu, reported. According to him, the goal is to create a stable buffer zone to ensure the security of the northern regions of Israel.
"We have created a real security buffer that prevents a ground invasion of the Galilee through the northern border. We are expanding this security buffer to push the threat of anti-tank missiles further away from our settlements. We are simply creating a wider buffer zone," Netanyahu stated as quoted by the head of government’s office.
He made this statement during a video conference meeting with the heads of the border regions in the north of the country. Speaking about the fighting in Lebanon, Netanyahu noted that Hezbollah’s military wing was preparing an invasion of Israeli territory, but the army allegedly managed to eliminate these threats.
According to him, a major danger to Israel also came from Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. "There was a threat that they would turn the Galilee and the cities of Israel, all the cities of Israel, into ruins. We have eliminated most of this threat, although the work is not yet finished," Netanyahu claimed. "Now we face the issue of eliminating Hezbollah. This is connected to the overall campaign against Iran, which, despite media reports, is still in full swing. We are determined to fundamentally change the situation in Lebanon," he added.
Overnight into March 2, the north of Israel came under a shelling attack from Lebanese territory. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that it had launched rockets on Israeli territory in response to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Following Hezbollah’s rocket attack, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) began to deliver massive air strikes on Lebanese territory. Later, Chief of the Israeli General Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir announced an "offensive campaign" against the Shia group Hezbollah that he said could be days-long.
On March 9, the IDF began "a targeted and limited raid" in southern Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure. On March 16, the IDF said. On March 16, the IDF announced that it had begun limited ground operations in Lebanon’s southern regions against key Hezbollah fortifications in southern Lebanon.