WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The Israeli minister announced that soldiers stationed near the border with Gaza would advance towards the north of the country
Per AFPJAN 29, 2024 at 3:44 p.m
Israeli army vehicle near the border with Lebanon Jalaa Marey / AFP
The Israeli army will operate “very soon” in the north of the country, on the border with Lebanon, where there are daily exchanges of fire with the Hezbollah movement, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday (29).
The Israeli minister reported that soldiers stationed near the border with Gaza were advancing towards the north of the country.
“They will be in action soon […] Therefore, the armed forces in the north are receiving reinforcements,” emphasized Yoav Gallant, adding that some reservists will leave their positions to prepare for future operations.
Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi recently suggested that the likelihood of war breaking out in the north of the country “in the coming months” was “much higher” than before.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the border between Israel and Lebanon has been the scene of daily exchanges of fire between Israeli troops and the Islamist movement Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and Hamas.
More than 200 people have died in Lebanon since the conflict began on October 7, sparked by a Hamas attack in southern Israel, according to an AFP count.
According to the Israeli army, 15 people died on the Israeli side, including nine soldiers and six civilians.
Gallant also said that Hamas fighters were lacking supplies and ammunition but that the war would continue for months.
According to an AFP report based on official Israeli data, the October 7 Hamas attack claimed 1,140 lives, most of them civilians.
In response, Israel launched an air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that has so far killed 26,637 people, most of them women, children and teenagers, according to the Health Ministry of the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip.