Defense Minister Benny Gantz has completed a tour to the IDF Northern Command. Accompanied by senior IDF personnel, he observed a training session simulating combat on Lebanese soil, held a situational assessment, and visited an underground tunnel dug by Hezbollah and subsequently neutralized by the IDF.

At the end of his tour, Gantz said: “The IDF is in a state of readiness across the entire northern border and is certainly optimally prepared on the Lebanese front. We are aware of attempts by Hezbollah to challenge us, including through new tactics, and we are prepared to face any threat. If Hezbollah challenges the IDF and the State of Israel, it will bear very, very heavy consequences and I hope it doesn’t do so."

Referencing Iran’s role, he said: "Iran, with its subversive regional activity, is continuing to support Hezbollah and other terror organizations while also trying to obtain military nuclear capability – which cannot be allowed. The State of Israel will continue working with its partners at large and with the US specifically so as not to allow Iran to cross the nuclear threshold.”