Stationing Israeli in southern Lebanon is the only way to ensure safety for northern Israel’s residents, says senior IDF commander.
By World Israel News Staff
The Israeli military must station troops on the ground in southern Lebanon and create a buffer zone to protect residents of northern Israel from Hezbollah aggression, a senior IDF commander reportedly recommended.
Head of Israel’s Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, is pushing for the IDF to launch a ground invasion and establish a long-term occupation of the region in the near future, sources told Israel Hayom.
For the past 11 months, Hezbollah has launched near-daily salvos of rockets, missiles, and explosive drones at northern Israeli communities and military assets, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents who live near the border with Lebanon.
Because many members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force stationed in the territory have been killed in IDF airstrikes over the past 11 months, coupled with the large-scale evacuation of Lebanese civilians from the area, the time is ripe for the IDF to move in, Gordin reportedly said.
Placing IDF troops on the ground on Lebanon would help push the Hezbollah terror group north of the Litani River, reducing the threat to residents of northern Israel. Additionally, the presence of Israeli troops in Lebanon would create pressure on Hezbollah for a long-term ceasefire, he is said to have argued.
Residents of the north, both who have remained in their homes and are constantly under threat from Hezbollah’s barrages along with displaced civilians, have urged the military to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Despite intense American pressure to delay an intensive campaign against Hezbollah, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recently signaled that the IDF is gearing up for an offensive that would cripple the terror group’s military capabilities.
Notably, an IDF spokesperson refused to confirm or deny the report, telling Israel Hayom that the military refuses to comment on internal discussions as a matter of policy.