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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjyoi00rqbe#autoplay
IDF Says Hizbullah Invasion Threat to Northern Communities Has Been Removed
(Ynet News) Yair Kraus - Fire from Lebanon continued Monday as the IDF said it was deepening its ground operation in southern Lebanon, with commanders saying the move has successfully removed the threat of an incursion into northern Israel. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir approved plans Saturday to expand the maneuver. Zamir said, "The campaign against Hizbullah has only just begun. At the end of the campaign in Iran, Hizbullah will remain alone and isolated. This is a prolonged campaign, and we are prepared for it." A senior Northern Command officer said the doubling of forward defensive posts inside Lebanese territory since Hizbullah joined the fighting had created a barrier preventing a large-scale raid. IDF troops are now deployed forward of the northern communities and would be the first to confront anyone attempting to attack civilians. The army plans to expand the destruction of Hizbullah infrastructure in border villages that was not completed during earlier operations. The officer said that 70-80% of residents of Shiite villages south of the Litani River had so far evacuated, and that the figure is expected to reach 90% within a week. Meanwhile, rocket fire from Lebanon has continued throughout, with four people wounded Thursday in a direct hit on a building in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona. On Wednesday, a barrage of 300 projectiles was fired toward northern communities. The IDF said it was making a concentrated effort to reduce the fire.