Israel’s north must prepare for Hezbollah war – Defense experts

“The time of the north has come and actually I think we are late on this,” said former defense minister Benny Gantz.

By World Israel News Staff

Former head of the National Security Council and Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS) fellow Yaakov Amidror said on Monday morning that Israel should be preparing for an all-out confrontation with the Hezbollah terror group.

Speaking about the IDF’s efforts to dismantle Hamas in Gaza, Amidror told Radio103 FM that “the intense phase of the fighting is behind us.”

He warned that the threat posed by Hezbollah is far more serious than that of Hamas.

“If Hezbollah launches an attack, cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa will be under heavy fire, which may result in many casualties on the home front,” Amidror said.

Northern Israel should gear up for intense fighting between Hezbollah and the IDF in the near future, he said.

“The situation across our border is getting worse, with Iran building up power. We did not take significant actions to deal with the threat, and we should have started acting against Hezbollah long before October 7,” he added.

Speaking at the MEAD Conference in Washington D.C. on Sunday, former Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the time had neared for an intense Israeli military campaign against Hezbollah.

“We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north,” Gantz said, stressing that Iran and its proxies are “the real issue” threatening Israel’s security.

“The time of the north has come and actually I think we are late on this,” he continued.

“We should go up north and take care [of the Hezbollah threat], and make sure we can get our people back to their homes. I don’t think we should delay it anymore.

“In Gaza, we have crossed a decisive point of the campaign. We can conduct anything we want in Gaza,” Gantz said, explaining that if a ceasefire and hostage deal isn’t achieved in the near future, Israel’s military should redirect its focus northward.

““We are capable of… hitting the state of Lebanon if needed,” he added.