Defense Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon this morning (Sunday) together with Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Tamir Yadai and Commander of Division 91 Brigadier General Yuval Gaz. The visit was joined by the head of Moshav Margaliot, Eitan Davidi, representing residents of the confrontation line who are demanding a fundamental change in the security reality.
During a meeting with soldiers, Minister Katz revealed the name of the operation along the front line of villages-“Silver Plow." The operation focuses on leveling terror infrastructure and houses used by Hezbollah as launch and firing positions against Israel.
“We have decided that we are not leaving the north again. It is impossible to leave civilians under the threat of anti-tank fire and raids. The goal is to disarm Hezbollah and evacuate all Lebanese residents south of the Litani-they will not return as long as the safety of our residents is not guaranteed. All the houses are being removed. We saw in Gaza how this works-until it happens, repeated raids don’t help. They lose territory and they lose homes," said Katz.
He also referred to the final moments of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah before he was eliminated. “According to the diagnoses, in the end he was trapped in a room and suffocated. He had a few minutes to think about how wrong he was in understanding the Jews-that we have changed. He was sure he knew us; he didn’t understand that what happened caused us to act differently."
Eitan Davidi expressed support for the minister and the army. “We will give the IDF all the time needed to complete the job. We don’t need to evacuate-staying in our homes is our victory image. We are here to give strength to the soldiers so they know we trust them. The Defense Minister has pulled the pin, and the IDF is doing the job."