IDF Chief welcomes degrading Hezbollah, says 'true victory' requires reviving Israeli north

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi declared a “clear victory” against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group during a meeting with the IDF’s Northern Command leaders in southern Lebanon on Sunday, where he assessed Israel’s military achievements.

However, Halevi stressed that “a victory, in the long run, is that there will be a lot of citizens, a lot of tourism, that the restaurants that were here, and the cafes, and the people who come to ride bicycles, and the agriculture here, will all thrive.”

Halevi continued by saying that the government “needs to step in, offer a very strong shoulder.”

Approximately 70,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in northern communities for over a year.

The war in Israel's north began on Oct. 8, 2023, when Hezbollah launched an unprovoked attack on Israel, officially using the Hamas-initiated Gaza War the day before as a pretext for the aggression on northern Israeli communities.

Despite the ongoing ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, the IDF has stated that most of the Israeli evacuees will not be able to return to their homes until the end of February.

While the revival of Israel’s northern communities will likely require years of hard work and considerable investment, the United States was reportedly surprised by Israel’s decisive military achievements against Hezbollah.

Both Israeli and U.S. intelligence services feared that hundreds of Israeli soldiers and thousands of Israeli civilians would be killed in a large-scale war with Hezbollah.

“There are fears this will grow to an expansive air campaign reaching much further north into populated areas of Lebanon and eventually grow to a ground component as well,” an unnamed U.S. official told CNN in February.

Before the ceasefire, 56 IDF soldiers were killed during Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon. In addition, a few dozen Israeli civilians were killed as a result of Hezbollah’s rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.

In contrast, at least 4,000 Hezbollah terrorists were killed, and thousands injured during the conflict. Furthermore, Israel eliminated most Hezbollah leaders including its top leader, Sec.-Gen. Hassan Nasrallah. Israel Defense Forces also wiped out most of Hezbollah’s missile and drone arsenal.

The current ceasefire stipulates that Israeli forces should eventually withdraw from southern Lebanon and be replaced by Lebanon’s official military and UNIFIL peacekeeping forces. Hezbollah forces are also required to retreat north of the Litani River, located about 18 miles from the border between Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have both accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement.

The Israeli military denies that it has violated the agreement, as the agreement permits the IDF to strike Hezbollah operatives who violate the agreement and threaten Israel’s security. Hezbollah-affiliated media called for a renewed “resistance” against Israel. Meanwhile, the IDF has estimated it has eliminated 44 Hezbollah terrorists since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27.

Israeli officials recently said that the slow deployment of the official Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon could require Israeli forces to remain in the area longer than originally planned to secure Israel’s northern border.