After IDF forces thwarted an attempted infiltration by Hezbollah operatives on Monday, Israel's security and defense establishment thinks that Hezbollah will make another attempt to carry out a cross-border attack ahead of the holiday Eid al-Adha, which falls on Thursday.
Channel 12 News reported Tuesday that despite Hezbollah's formal denials that its operatives had initiated an attack against Israel, the IDF has footage of a squad entering Israeli territory for several minutes.
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The report noted that the footage shows the terrorist cell climbing Mount Dov on the Lebanese border, crossing the border, and fleeing back to the Lebanese side after IDF forces opened fire.
The IDF is still on high alert along the northern border, although no soldiers or other military targets have been positioned on the border itself, to avoid providing the Shiite terrorist organization with targets.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting at the border with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, GOC Northern Command Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, head of the Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman, head of Operations Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, and other senior officials.
Following the meeting, Netanyahu said that the IDF's action to repel Monday's attempted attack was "important" and had thwarted the infiltration attempt.
"Everything happening now is the result of the effort by Iran and its Lebanese proxies to entrench militarily in our region. [Hezbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah is serving this Iranian interest at Lebanon's expense," Netanyahu said.
"I do not suggest that anybody test the IDF or the state of Israel. We are determined to defend ourselves," the prime minister added.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that following a situation assessment, the Northern Command would be outfitted with advanced artillery and intelligence systems as well as other "special" capabilities, mainly precise weaponry.
"The IDF is well prepared for every possible scenario. We will continue to take action to thwart Iran's military entrenchment in our region. We will do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves and I suggest that Hezbollah consider this simple fact," Netanyahu said after the meeting.
Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz toured the Israeli Air Force's base at Nevatim, near Beersheba, and received an overview of the IAF's operations and the challenges it is facing.
When the visit was over, Gantz said, "We have the ability to operate at any distance and are at an unprecedented level of operational alert. I suggest that the countries in the region, near or far – Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and anyone else who is involved in terrorism – remember that Israel has boundless capabilities and will know how to use them."
In a related development, the IDF concluded Tuesday that despite reports of groups of suspicious individuals on the northern border, there had been no attempt to breach Israeli territory.
On Tuesday evening, the IDF said that a group had been spotted near the border fence in the western Galilee. Troops conducted sweeps of the area and found that the reports of a possible infiltration were baseless.
Part of this article was originally published by i24NEWS.
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