A senior IDF commander told reporters that the capture of Kfar Tebnit and the ridge overlooking Nabatieh no longer serves the original aim of removing direct-fire threats to Israeli border communities. The officer said that objective was already achieved, and the current expansion aims to further weaken Hezbollah — but acknowledged it will not defeat the group.
A senior IDF commander in southern Lebanon has acknowledged that the military's ground expansion beyond the Beaufort Ridge has departed from its original stated mission, raising questions about operational purpose amid a ceasefire.
In a briefing with reporters, the officer — who commands the Lebanon operation — said the original objective of removing the direct-fire (anti-tank and infiltration) threat to northern Israeli communities was fully achieved when IDF forces seized the ridge line overlooking the Galilee. Subsequent advances to Kfar Tebnit and the Ali Taher ridge, which overlooks Nabatieh but does not command any Israeli territory, serve a different goal: building a springboard for a potential future capture of Nabatieh itself, and further weakening Hezbollah.
"Is that serving the original objective of removing the direct-fire threat? No," the officer said, according to Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh of N13 / Army Radio. He added that the current operation is a significant step to weaken Hezbollah "dramatically," but not enough to defeat the group.
As The Zioneer reported on June 13, IDF forces advanced to the outskirts of Nabatieh and captured the Ali Taher ridge, while the Lebanese army withdrew from a nearby base. The latest acknowledgment comes as the military maintains a ceasefire line it is not permitted to cross, with no imminent authorization for further advances.
The IDF Spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Efi Defrin, was asked today about the operational rationale and repeated familiar phrases heard throughout the war — "removing threats," "significant underground infrastructure," "center of gravity." The senior commander's candid admission suggests the army is struggling to articulate why it continues to hold and expand ground under current political constraints.
- DevelopingSenior security source: Israel expanded overnight, captured Tibnit in southern Lebanon
- DevelopingSatellite imagery shows IDF captured four southern Lebanon villages, strategic ridge
- DevelopingIDF pushes into three new axes in southern Lebanon, sources report
- DevelopingIDF Chief Zamir says Lebanon remains main center of gravity, as forces advance toward Nabatieh
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