Israeli army chief visits south Lebanon post, says 'won't allow threats to grow'
Chief of Staff of Israel's army Eyal Zamir who visited Wednesday a post in south Lebanon said Israel is in a "multifront war" not just with Gaza but also in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
"This morning, we approved plans for the conquest of Gaza, and now we are in Lebanon," he said.
"At the same time, we are operating in Syria, Yemen, Judea and Samaria (West Bank), and monitoring events in Iran. We are in a multifront war," Zamir said, adding that Israel has achieved "unprecedented" goals in Lebanon.
"The achievements in the northern sector are unprecedented. Since the ceasefire (reached in late November), over 240 terrorists have been eliminated and approximately 600 air strikes conducted."
"We are operating according to a new strategic concept - we will not allow threats to grow," Zamir said.
The visit comes amid tensions in Lebanon over Hezbollah arms after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise plans to disarm the group.
Israel has kept up its strikes on Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.
It has warned it will continue to strike until the Iran-backed militant group has been disarmed.
Under the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese Army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region.
Israel was to withdraw all its troops from Lebanon but has kept them in five areas it deems "strategic."
Source: Naharnet
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