With Hezbollah's situation intensifying, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered significant reinforcements to the North, in a sign that the military may deepen its ground forces involvement.
Hezbollah has over 1,000 long-range missiles to continue to hammer Israel's home front, in addition to potentially tens of thousands of shorter-range missiles, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
With the terrorist group's situation intensifying, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday ordered significant reinforcements to the North, in a sign that the military may deepen its ground forces involvement in Lebanon.
According to the military, Zamir instructed the IDF to reinforce the Northern Command and move the Golani Brigade from southern operations in Gaza to the northern sector.
The Golani Brigade is the IDF's foremost large-scale offensive invasion force, and is usually not brought into a new area just to carry out guard duty.
Already, the IDF has sent Divisions 36 and 91 deeper into southern Lebanon than the original plans dictated.
IDF expected to approach 1,000 attacks in Lebanon
IDF Divisions 146 and 210 have also expanded operations in southern Lebanon beyond the five outposts that Israel has maintained near the border since the November 2024 ceasefire with Hezbollah, but have not advanced as deeply to date.
In the coming days, the IDF is expected to approach 1,000 attacks in Lebanon, including dozens of major strikes in Hezbollah's stronghold of Dahiya in Beirut.
Moreover, the IDF has reported a growing trend of direct confrontations with Hezbollah on the ground in southern Lebanon, with more updates of killing cells of fighters it is uncovering as it patrols new areas.
In addition, the IDF is uncovering more areas within southern Lebanon where Hezbollah hid weapons.
Despite these successes, Hezbollah has managed several ambushes on IDF forces.
There are reports that the terrorist group has been using drones and other advanced methods to track IDF forces to facilitate ambushing them, as well as poor information security by some IDF forces posting their positions on social media.
The Golani reinforcements appear, at minimum, to be directed at this issue, but also will make it easier for the IDF to launch a large invasion of southern Lebanon as it did in the fall of 2024.
At press time, although both Iran and Hezbollah continued to launch a steady stream of missiles, rockets, and drones at Israel, Wednesday was the first day with no reported casualties or significant harm to property.
There is still a high probability that some northern towns have taken hits and do not yet realize it because of limited mobility in those areas or are not reporting on it as part of efforts to undermine Hezbollah's achievements.
Unlike the 2023-2024 conflict, when most residents evacuated the North, the vast majority of northern residents during this war have stayed at home during the current conflict.