This photo shows the damage caused by Israeli warplanes in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 1, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday the military must ready itself for continued combat in Lebanon, including possible expansion of its ground operations.

"While diplomatic efforts are underway to reach agreements in Lebanon, we must persist in preparing plans for ongoing combat, potentially widening and intensifying our ground maneuvers," Halevi stated after a situational assessment, according to an official statement. "We will implement these plans as needed," he added.

Halevi also noted that amid the current offensive, Israel, "according to plan," had struck multiple Hezbollah positions across southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, Beirut, and Syria.

Also on Wednesday, an 18-year-old Israeli civilian was killed in northern Israel while working in an agricultural field, reportedly by a rocket launched by Hezbollah forces from Lebanon. Israeli police identified the victim as Sivan Sade, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, correcting an earlier report from the national rescue service, which had mistakenly identified him as a foreign national.

Mateh Asher Regional Council head Moshe Davidovich told Kan Reshet Bet radio that Sade had gone to activate an irrigation system in the field.

"He followed safety protocols and lay on the ground, but there are no anti-rocket interceptors in these agricultural areas," Davidovich explained.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)