Smoke rises from Kfar Kila, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as pictured from Marjayoun, near the border with Israel, Lebanon, Aug. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

JNS.org — Israel Defense Forces Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin said on Wednesday that the army needs to be prepared for a potential ground invasion of Lebanon to remove the threat posed by Hezbollah.

“We need to change the security situation. We need to be very strongly prepared to enter [Lebanon] in a [ground] maneuver,” Gordin stated.

“We have entered a new phase of the campaign, and we are now in ‘Operation Northern Arrows,'” he said during a visit with commanders and soldiers of the IDF’s 7th Brigade on the country’s northern border.

“The operation began with a significant blow to Hezbollah’s capabilities, focusing on their firepower capabilities, and a very significant hit on the organization’s commanders and operatives,” the military official added.

Also on Wednesday afternoon, the military announced it was deploying two additional reserve brigades, amounting to at least several thousand troops, for future “operational missions in the northern sector.”

“Their recruitment will allow the continuation of the war effort against the Hezbollah terror organization, the protection of the citizens of the State of Israel and the creation of the conditions for the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” the IDF said in a statement.

Jerusalem has escalated attacks on Hezbollah since adding the return of evacuated Israeli civilians to the north as an official war goal on Sept. 17.

Hezbollah has attacked Israel nearly daily since Oct. 8, firing thousands of rockets, missiles, and drones. The attacks have killed more than 40 people and caused widespread damage. Tens of thousands of Israeli civilians remain internally displaced due to the ongoing violence.

Israel’s Security Cabinet, which is responsible for defense-related decisions and composed of senior ministers, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday night in the “pit,” the IDF’s underground command and control center in the Kirya military headquarters in central Tel Aviv.

Israeli Air Force fighter jets continued to pound Hezbollah targets across Lebanon on Wednesday, with the IDF announcing it launched airstrikes in the areas of Nabatieh and the Beqaa deep inside Lebanese territory.

Three people were wounded, one seriously, on Wednesday after Hezbollah rockets scored direct hits in northern Israeli towns.