The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday canceled all furloughs for soldiers stationed in the northern sector, citing rising tensions with Hezbollah.
Israel is bracing for a potential attack by the Lebanon-based Shiite terrorist group – Iran's regional proxy – after it threatened retaliation over two incidents that took place earlier this week. The first saw the IDF thwart an imminent Iranian drone attack on Israel's north from Syria; and the second, which has been attributed to Israel by the foreign media, entailed a drone attack on a Hezbollah building in Beirut, which destroyed equipment that was earmarked for Hezbollah's efforts to bolster its arsenal of precision missiles.
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GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Amir Baram and the Homefront Command's northern sector chief Col. Itzik Bar met on Thursday with the heads of the communities adjacent to Israel's borders with Lebanon and Syria and briefed them on the IDF's efforts in the sector.
"Ensuring the daily routine in the sector continues uninterrupted and doesn't contradict the fact that they [the communities] have to be ready for a state of emergency and keep in touch with our sector commanders," Baram said.
"All of the tourist attractions, parks and recreational areas in the area don't have to change anything in terms of their daily operations," he stressed. "We are preparing for any contingency and if need be, we will react to developments on the ground as they happen, which is why we must brief the heads of the local communities."
Baram further commended the heads of the local communities for "the partnership we have and their considered response, which indicates strong civilian leadership."
The Israeli Military Intelligence pegs Hezbollah's missile arsenal at about 200,000 projectiles of various ranges. Of them, the terrorist group is believed to possess several dozen precision missiles.
