Katz Talks About Major Security Breach in Hezbollah and Promises More Strikes

Translation from SadaNews - Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said on Thursday evening that the "Eternal Darkness" operation was a very strong blow to Hezbollah, which came out of it stunned and confused by the depth of the breach and the magnitude of the strike.

He added in a press statement, as translated by SadaNews, that more than 200 militants were killed yesterday, raising the death toll in this battle to over 1,400, which is more than double the number of casualties in the Second Lebanon War.

Katz continued: The "terrorist" organization Hezbollah is eager for a ceasefire, and even its Iranian sponsors are pressuring and threatening, fearing that Israel will crush Hezbollah, as he put it.

He went on: The Israeli army is ready and prepared to act strongly if Iran fires at Israel.

He added: The agreement on separating fronts is an important achievement led by the Prime Minister, allowing us to act forcefully against Hezbollah according to an organized plan based on four lines: the first is the border line, which includes the destruction of homes in the Lebanese border villages; the second is the defense line within Lebanon, which has been expanded from 5 to 15; the third is the anti-tank weapons line, which has been fully absorbed through ground maneuvering and we are currently working on expanding it at additional points; and the fourth is the Litani line, which will be controlled by the Israeli army as part of controlling the Litani area, preventing the entry of additional militants and the return of residents to the south.

Katz continued: At the same time, the Israeli army will attack from the air according to the Iranian model and with great force on militants and missile launchers in the Litani area and launch areas throughout Lebanon outside the Litani region.

He concluded by saying: "We promised to provide security for the residents of the north, and that is exactly what we will do."