Prime Minister Netanyahu Promises To Restore Security On Lebanese Borders Whether Or Not Agreed

JAKARTA - Israel will restore security on the northern border with Lebanon and keep the Hezbollah militant group away, with a negotiated and military-powered settlement.

In his briefing to military commanders, PM Netanyahu said, "with or without agreement" with Lebanon, restoring security in the north and returning residents to their homes needed efforts to push Hezbollah to the north of the Litani River, preventing the militant group from rearming and responding to all activities against Israel, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

The Litani River is about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) deep in Lebanon from the border with Israel.

"With a simple word: law enforcement, law enforcement, law enforcement," Prime Minister Netanyahu said, adding it was also important to cut off Hezbollah's "oxygen" arms supply from Iran through Syria, quoted from The Times of Israel November 4.

PM Netanyahu, who was accompanied by the IDF Northern Command Commander Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin and other high-ranking officers, received an operating assessment as well as an update on offensive and defensive plans in the arena amid the ongoing war against Hezbollah.

The prime minister stated that from where it stands, it is possible to hear the "changing reality" sound as troops operate against Hezbollah's targets from the air and land, destroying infrastructure, which, he said, has been prepared for an invasion that is even more devastating than the Hamas-led massacre on October 7, 2023.

PM Netanyahu's visit to the border comes as the Israeli military says more than 100 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory throughout Sunday. Some were intercepted, and some fell in unpopulated areas.

The United States has pushed for a ceasefire proposal that will restore security on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border, after attacking each other for more than a year followed by Israel's ground operations last month.

PM Netanyahu was scheduled to visit the border town of Metula. However, about 20 minutes before he was scheduled to arrive, an unmanned plane from Lebanon exploded at the city's military base, prompting the prime minister's convoy to cancel the visit.