Israel's Chief of the General Staff visited IDF forces in southern Lebanon and told brigade commanders that the military's mission remains unchanged: defending Israel's northern communities and citizens. He said operations in the areas of Ali Taher and Beaufort Castle are serving that objective, as fighting continues.
The Chief of the General Staff visited IDF forces in southern Lebanon on Sunday evening, speaking directly with brigade commanders actively maneuvering in the sector. According to a statement from the military, he told commanders: "We continue to fight. Our objective is clear and remains — the defense of northern communities and the citizens of Israel. We are directing all of our efforts toward that end; the activity in the Ali Taher and Beaufort Castle sectors also serves this purpose."
The visit comes as IDF operations in southern Lebanon continue despite months of negotiations and public declarations about a potential agreement. Over the past week, The Zioneer has reported sustained IDF strikes on Hezbollah targets in the area, including in Ansar village and along the border ridge, as well as continued Hezbollah fire at Israeli forces. The chief's remarks seem aimed at reaffirming the mission's core objective amid questions about mission creep — a senior officer acknowledged last week that ground operations had drifted from the original aim of removing direct-fire threats to border communities, a concern the chief's statement now directly addresses by re-centering the defense of northern communities as the guiding purpose.
The military did not provide further details about the length of the visit or any operational decisions taken during it.
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- StrongIDF: Forces remain in southern Lebanon following political directive
Source and signal
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