At the same time, Israel’s defense minister was presented with options for responding to Hezbollah’s attack on Majdal Shams.
By JNS
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi held a situational assessment with other military leaders on Sunday and approved plans for the northern sector.
Also present at the General Staff Forum were Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, OC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, outgoing OC Military Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, OC Operations Directorate Maj. Gen. Oded Basyuk, OC Air Force Toner Bar and other senior officers.
Haliva submitted his resignation in light of the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 Hamas invasion and is due to be replaced this week by Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder.
The meeting came a day after a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights killed 12 children and wounded over 40 others. The attack is seen as a potentially significant escalation in the conflict with the Iranian-backed terror army beyond the tit-for-tat that has marked the past nearly 10 months.
At the same time as the General Staff meeting, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was presented with options for responding to Hezbollah during a situational assessment at Northern Command headquarters in Safed.
“Hezbollah will not be cleansed of this incident, even with its ridiculous denials. It fired the shot and it will bear the price and will pay a heavy price for its actions,” Gallant said.
IDF chief: Increasing readiness for ‘next stage of fighting in north’
Speaking during a solidarity visit to Majdal Shams on Saturday night, Halevi said that the military is increasing its readiness for “the next stage of fighting in the north.”
Halevi accused Hezbollah of deliberately targeting children.
“This is a Hezbollah rocket. And whoever launches such a rocket into a built-up area wants to kill civilians, wants to kill children,” the IDF chief said. He noted that the army knows the exact location in Lebanon where the rocket, a Falaq 1 with a 53-kilogram (117-pound) warhead, was launched.
The missile was launched from an area north of the village of Shebaa in Southern Lebanon, according to the IDF.
IDF Spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters at a briefing on Saturday that the rocket was manufactured in Iran and that Hezbollah is the only Iranian terror proxy that possesses it.
Halevi expressed sympathy with and support for the Druze community, meeting with community leader Sheikh Mowafaq Ṭarif and representatives of the local authority.
Halevi was accompanied by Peli and Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the IDF Northern Command.
The IDF chief also delivered a message to the tens of thousands of residents of northern Israel displaced from their homes for nearly 10 months amid constant cross-border attacks by Hezbollah.
“We are greatly increasing our readiness for the next stage of fighting in the north. We are simultaneously operating in the Gaza Strip. We know how to strike even very far from the State of Israel,” said Halevi.
“There will be more challenges, and we will raise our readiness. When required, we will act strongly. Our duty is to return the residents of the north safely to their homes, in the entire north, the Galilee and the Golan Heights, a full commitment. It is a difficult day; we will work for better days,” he added.