Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has expressed his continued support for IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, stating that he has no intention of replacing the military's top leader while security threats persist along Israel's northern border. This stance comes amid ongoing tensions with Hezbollah in Lebanon and internal discussions about accountability for the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught.

In recent closed-door conversations, the contents of which were obtained by Israel Hayom, Gallant reportedly stated, "I trust the chief of staff and have confidence in him. I don't intend to replace him while there's an open front in the north."

Even eight months after Oct. 7, it appears the defense minister believes there is still no place for leadership changes at the top of the defense establishment while the war has not ended, and there remains a significant chance that Israel may engage in a campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

These statements from Gallant are significant and may result in Halevi continuing to lead the IDF for many more months or even longer if a prolonged campaign in Lebanon develops. This is alongside the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gallant, and the rest of the political echelon are not even considering the option of resigning due to their responsibility for the failure that led to the massacre.

According to media reports, Halevi had indicated the completion of IDF investigations into the Oct. 7 events as a time when he could step down, with estimates pointing to around September.

Now, as Israel moves towards "Phase 3," which is seen as the official end of intense fighting in Gaza, many expect Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to resign from their positions, following their declarations of taking responsibility for the failure. Halevi could certainly resign and request to end his role, but it seems that if it depends on Gallant as he may ask the chief of staff to stay as long as it's unclear how the situation in the north will develop.

Military sources told Israel Hayom, "If the chief of staff resigns now, before it's clear what's happening in the north, it will lead to the resignation of all the senior officials under him who were connected to the failure – and it will shake up the army. This needs to be managed professionally. The IDF cannot undergo upheaval when there's still a possibility of an all-out war in the north."

The resignations of Halevi and Bar have political significance. Government ministers from Likud and Religious Zionism believe the two should have resigned long ago. However, their resignations would lead to public demand for the Prime Minister and the entire government to resign as well. In other words, the pressure would escalate.

On the other hand, the opposition and protest leaders fear that if the chief of staff and shin bet head resign, the government will remain and appoint its own people in their place – essentially, political appointments. This is more related to the Shin Bet chief, who is appointed by the prime minister and has a direct connection to democratic components in the state.

Regarding the chief of staff, the leading candidate to replace Halevi is Defense Ministry Director-General Eyal Zamir. In the case of the chief of staff's resignation, the question arises: Does the government, which was responsible for the failure, even have a public mandate to appoint the next military leader who will rehabilitate the army?

Gallant's office responded, "We do not comment on closed conversations and regret leaks from them."

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Lebanon's Hezbollah fired a massive barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday to avenge the killing of a top commander, further escalating regional tensions as the fate of an internationally-backed plan for a cease-fire in Gaza hung in the balance. The assassinated Hezbollah operative, Hajj Abu Taleb, was the commander of the Nasr Unit, which is in charge of the southern part of Lebanon. He is believed to be the highest-ranking Hezbollah terrorist killed in the war so far. 

Video: The Israeli strike taking out the senior Hezbollah operative / Credit: IDF

The retaliatory attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the region to push a cease-fire proposal with global support that has not been fully embraced by Israel or Hamas. The terrorist group submitted its first official response late Tuesday, requesting "amendments" to the deal.

Video: The rocket attack by Hezbollah on the Sea of Galilee / Credit: Usage under Israeli intellectual property law Section 27a

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed ally of Hamas, has traded fire with Israel nearly every day since the 8-month-long Israel-Hamas war began and says it will only stop if there is a truce in Gaza. That has raised fears of an even more devastating regional conflagration.

Air raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, and the military said that about 160 projectiles were fired from southern Lebanon, making it one of the largest attacks since the fighting began. There were no immediate reports of casualties as some were intercepted while others ignited brush fires.

IAF aircraft eliminated Sami Taleb Abdullah, the commander of the Nasr Unit in the Hezbollah terrorist organization, last night. This was part of a strike on a Hezbollah command and control center in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon, which was used to direct terrorist… pic.twitter.com/DE4qKnC7Mk

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 12, 2024

Hezbollah said it fired missiles and rockets at two military bases in retaliation for the killing of Taleb Sami Abdullah, 55. Known within Hezbollah as Hajj Abu Taleb, he is the most senior commander killed since the fighting began eight months ago. The Israeli strike destroyed a house where Abdullah and three other officials were meeting, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border, late Tuesday.

A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press that Abdullah was in charge of a large part of the Lebanon-Israel front, including the area facing the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, which Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked in recent days, causing fires in the area.

The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Abdullah had joined Hezbollah decades ago and took part in attacks against Israeli forces during their 18-year stay in southern Lebanon that ended in May 2000.

The IDF issued the following statement several hours after the strike, confirming his identity: "Israeli Airforce aircraft eliminated Sami Taleb Abdullah, the commander of the Nasr Unit in the Hezbollah terrorist organization, last night. This was part of a strike on a Hezbollah command and control center in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon, which was used to direct terrorist attacks against Israel from southeastern Lebanon in recent months. Abdullah was one of Hezbollah's most senior commanders in southern Lebanon who planned, advanced, and carried out a large number of terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. Three additional Hezbollah terrorist operatives were also eliminated in the strike. Taleb, one of the senior commanders of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, was killed in an airstrike yesterday along with three other terrorists. For years, Taleb had planned, orchestrated,d and carried out numerous terror plots against Israeli civilians."

In the strike that eliminated Taleb, three additional Hezbollah operatives at his side were also killed. Taleb Abdullah led offensive actions by Hezbollah units such as rocket fire toward Kiryat Shmona, the Galilee Panhandle region, and the fires along the Ramim Ridge. He was one of the most central figures in southern Lebanon.

Taleb was a senior terrorist who led many incidents since the early 2000s, including an anti-tank missile attack on the Ghajar area, as well as anti-tank missile incidents during the Second Lebanon War like the attack on Maroun al-Ras.

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In a statement, the army said an anti-aircraft missile was "launched over Lebanese territory" toward the drone, but the aircraft was not hit.

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Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said a large explosion was heard near the southern town of Nabatiyeh and that Israeli spy aircraft was flying overhead at the time. The area is a stronghold of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah later said its fighters confronted with the appropriate weapons an enemy drone in the skies of southern Lebanon and forced it to leave Lebanese airspace.

Israel and Hezbollah are bitter enemies that fought a monthlong war in 2006. Israel frequently sends drones over southern Lebanon to monitor the activities of the Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group.

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In the clip, the missile can be seen exploding as it lands. Shortly thereafter, an IDF armored vehicle drives past the main gate of the kibbutz, undamaged.

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On Monday, Hezbollah put out its own "footage" of the missile attack that it claimed showed an IDF base, IDF vehicles, the road that runs along the border, and buildings in Avivim. It did not show any wounded IDF personnel. The Hezbollah video is believed to have been shot using a drone.

The Hezbollah video did show IDF transport trucks that the organization said were carrying battalion commanders. The organization was apparently trying to send the message that it could cause heavy casualties in a strike but had chosen not to do so.

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In a televised speech, Nasrallah said the new focus would be on targeting Israeli drones that enter Lebanon's airspace, and this would be handled by fighters in the field.

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Hezbollah and the IDF exchanged cross-border fire on Sunday after a drone attack last week in a Hezbollah-controlled Beirut suburb. Hezbollah blamed that incident on Israel, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

In his speech, Nasrallah said that Sunday's missiles sent Israel "a clear message that if you attack, then all your border, your forces and your settlements at the border and [deep inside]" will be at risk.

His comments struck a defiant tone, although perceptions in the region are that the longtime enemies privately want to avoid all-out war at a time of soaring regional tensions.

During Sunday's flare-up, Israel reportedly faked soldier injuries to dampen any inclination of Hezbollah to escalate hostilities.

Israeli media photographed an army helicopter performing what appeared to be the evacuation of two wounded soldiers to hospital after Hezbollah launched anti-tank missiles at an army base and vehicles. Israel said there were no casualties.

But a person briefed on the evacuation, and who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the soldiers were, in fact, unharmed and bandaged with fake blood in what he called "a psy-ops stunt."

Hezbollah said it had destroyed an IDF vehicle and broadcast what it said was footage of two missiles hitting a moving vehicle.

Nasrallah said Sunday's incident had marked the first such Hezbollah operation in a long time targeting Israel in positions across the border, not in the Israeli-occupied Shebaa farms.

"This is no longer a red line," the Hezbollah chief said. "I tell the Israelis, we no longer have red lines because you changed the rules of engagement."

In a video statement in Twitter on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held out the prospect of future military action to prevent Hezbollah getting missiles that could be fired with increased accuracy at targets in Israel.

"We will continue to do whatever is necessary to defend Israel at sea, on land, and in the air. We will continue to act against the threat of the precision-guided rockets," he said.

Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz said he had asked Germany to tell Lebanon that if it does not stem Hezbollah's activity against Israel, "Lebanon in its entirety will be struck and badly damaged."

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In a short video, Netanyahu warned Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah that Israel had "operated with determination and responsibility. We protected the safety of our citizens and the lives of our soldiers. The man in the bunker in Beirut knows exactly why he's in a bunker."

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"We will continue to do what we need to do to protect Israel's security – at sea, on land, and in the air, and we will also continue to take action against the threat of precision-guided missiles," Netanyahu added.

Nasrallah himself was expected to speak about Sunday's events in an address Monday evening. Earlier Monday, Lebanese media outlets reported that Hezbollah was claiming it had footage that disproved Israel's reports that no Israeli soldiers or civilians had been wounded in the missile attack.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television station reported that a Hezbollah official had informed them that the footage would be made public "at the appropriate time."

Reports in Israel said that as part of Sunday's clash on the border, the IDF had staged an evacuation to make Hezbollah think that soldiers had been wounded. On Monday, an Israeli security official said that deceptive tactics were part of warfare, and that it was impossible for Israel to keep reports of wounded secret in events when they occur.

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"The man in the bunker will give a lot more speeches," the official said, referring to Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who has been in hiding since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

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"I don't care about that, as long as we [Israel] can continue to achieve our goals," the official added.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri understands that his country is at risk of Nasrallah continues provoking Israel, the official said.

When asked if he thought that Hezbollah would consider Sunday's missile attack a sufficient response to last week's drone strikes, which took out major Hezbollah targets and embarrassed Nasrallah, the official said, "We are preparing for every scenario. If he keeps this up, he knows what awaits him."

The official explained that Israel's security and defense priorities, as laid out by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons; preventing Hezbollah from obtaining precision missiles; and preventing Iran from further entrenching itself in the region – including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere.

"We are making diplomatic and operational efforts in a number of fields and areas to prevent these three things. Each one has a detailed action plan. We are carrying out a lot of actions. You only see the very tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of covert actions by the IDF and the Mossad, as well as diplomatic measures being taken to address these three goals," the official said.

"We are working with determination combined with responsibility. We don't act on a shim – it's part of a complete strategy. We have goals we want to achieve," he said.

Addressing recent developments on the northern border, the official said that Israel was handling developments there "with caution, even in the past few days."

"In the past few days, we were surrounded on multiple fronts. We needed to take action on a few different fronts within a 24-hour period. We operated with precision, just like we planned to. If we hadn't taken those actions, we could have wound up fighting a war we don't need," the official said.

As part of Sunday's clash with Hezbollah, the IDF reportedly staged an evacuation to make Hezbollah think that Israeli soldiers had been wounded in the attack. In fact, there were no wounded among soldiers or civilians.

"I'm surprised at the public discourse about [the fake evacuation]. Commanders in the field are instructed to use deception when fighting. I'm not going to discuss whether there was or was not a 'fake-out.' We do everything possible to prevent casualties. If the army uses deceptive tactics, that's good. We do everything we can to prevent casualties. In Israel, it's impossible to hide casualties, when there are any," the official said.

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"Hezbollah executed the attack ... however [it] failed to cause casualties," an IDF spokesperson said.

"The tactical event on the ground ... appears to be behind us, however the strategic situation is still on, and the IDF maintains an elevated level of readiness, the spokesperson added.

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Hezbollah took responsibility for anti-tank missiles that were fired from inside Lebanon, and claimed that the missiles hit IDF vehicles. In a press release, Hezbollah said it fired the missiles in retaliation for a drone strike early last week in which two of its operatives were killed in the town of Aqraba.

The IDF reported a "number of hits" by anti-tank missiles fired at an army base and military vehicles near the Lebanese border in northern Israel. It said it was responding with fire toward "the sources of fire and targets in southern Lebanon."

Channel 12 quoted Lebanese media reports that the Israeli Air Force was carrying out strikes in Lebanese villages in response to the missiles fired at Israeli forces. Channel 12 also reported that IDF artillery and armored units had carried out over 30 strikes in retaliation for the missile strike on IDF forces.

Residents of northern Israel living within 4 km (2.5 miles) of the border were ordered to stay indoors and open bomb shelters, although no instructions were issued to actually take cover.

Israeli cabinet ministers have been ordered not to speak to the media about events on the northern border.

The missle launch from Lebanon came after Israeli military activity in the Mount Dov caused several fires in southern Lebanon. The IDF confirmed the fires after Lebanese media reported that there was artillery shelling in the area.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar television station also accused Israel of using drones to drop incendiary material in a pine forest near the border and published an image of the flammable material it alleges were dropped.

An IDF spokesperson said that the fire near the Lebanese border had "orginated with operations by our [Israeli] forces in the area," without elaborating.

The Mount Dov area, also known as Shebaa Farms, used to belong to Syria until the 1967 Six-Day War, when it came under Israeli control. Nevertheless, Hezbollah claims it is Lebanese territory. It is unclear what prompted the incident on Sunday and whether the shells hit Lebanese territory or only the area currently under Israeli control.

The incident comes after the IDF decided on Saturday to deploy additional forces to northern Israel and move artillery equipment closer to the border with Lebanon.

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The statement came as Netanyahu was visiting a military exercise in the northern sector, where he was briefed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and spoke with soldiers and commanders who participated in the drill.

Following the visit, Netanyahu told reporters, "I'm concluding a visit to a major, cross-corps IDF exercise in several sectors. I was very impressed by the improvement in [combat] readiness, by the soldiers and commanders' fighting spirit, and mainly by the IDF's destructive power. Our enemies shouldn't test us."

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The Israeli Air Force concluded a four-day drill on Wednesday, simulating a multi-front war.

The exercise included fighter jets, attack and transport helicopters, drones and air defense systems, and also simulated a scenario in which the Israeli homefront is hit with thousands of rockets.

Last week, Netanyahu implicitly referred to foreign media reports attributing recent strikes on Iranian assets in Syria to Israel, saying, "We face constant tests and we respond with determination and force to any attack against us."

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Touring the Israeli Golan Heights, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ramped up threats to use armed force should regime forces encroach on the border. "Any Syrian soldier who will be in the buffer zone risks his life," Lieberman told reporters.

Syrian government forces backed by Russia have launched an offensive in the southern Daraa province and are widely expected to move on rebel-held Quneitra, which is within an area covered by the armistice.

Israel worries that Syria's President Bashar Assad could let its enemies Iran and Hezbollah move forces into the area, giving them a foothold near its border. Tehran and the Lebanese terrorist group both back Assad in the complex conflict.

"For our part, we will honor the 1974 disengagement agreement, and there too we will insist that every last letter be abided by, and any violation will meet a harsh response from the State of Israel," Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said.

Assad's conduct in southern Syria is expected to come up in talks in Moscow on Wednesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia, whose 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war turned the tide in Assad's favor, has largely turned a blind eye to repeated Israeli airstrikes in Syria targeting suspected Iranian or Hezbollah emplacements and arms transfers.

But diplomats on both sides say Russia has made clear that it would oppose any Israeli action endangering Assad's rule.

On Sunday night, Syria said its air defense repelled a sortie against the T4 air base in Homs province that reportedly killed nine people. According to foreign media reports, Israel was responsible for the attack.

Jerusalem, in keeping with its customary reticence on such operations, declined all comment.

"Regarding yesterday – I read about it in the newspapers today, and I have nothing to add," Lieberman said on Monday.

"Perhaps just one thing, that our policy has not changed. We will not allow Iran's entrenchment in Syria and we will not allow Syrian soil to be turned into a vanguard against the State of Israel. Nothing has changed. There is nothing new.

"Iran's very presence in Syria is, from our perspective, unacceptable. We are not prepared to accept Iran's presence anywhere in Syria. … As soon as we identify an Iranian presence, we will act."

He said that terrorist "forces affiliated with the [Iran-led] axis are making efforts, under the protection of the [Syrian] regime, to establish infrastructure in the Syrian Golan [Heights]."

Calling these efforts "unacceptable," Lieberman said Israel would "act with force against any terrorist infrastructure that we see and identify in the area."

He said that "from our perspective, the regime is responsible and it will also be held responsible and pay a heavy price for collaborating with axis members and the amount and extent of the forces, in accordance with the [1974] agreement."

Asked by a reporter if he anticipated a time when the Quneitra crossing would be reopened under the U.N.-monitored armistice between Israel and Syria, and whether the two old enemies could establish "some kind of relationship," Lieberman said, "I reckon we are a long way from that, but we are not ruling out anything."

His remarks could foreshadow a more open approach to Assad ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday, his second in two months. At the meeting, Netanyahu will look to maintain Israel's freedom to carry out attacks on Iranians bases inside Syria from the country's air space.

Netanyahu cautioned both Iran and Syria after talks in Jerusalem on Tuesday with Russia's envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin. National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat was also in attendance at the meeting.

"At the meeting [with Putin], the prime minister will make clear that Israel will not tolerate military entrenchment by Iran or its proxies anywhere in Syria, and that Syria must abide meticulously by the 1974 separation agreement," an official statement said.

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