The head of Israel’s military, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has said that the “main combat arena is in Lebanon.”
The mission is to keep weakening Hezbollah, Zamir said.
He was speaking on Thursday to Israeli troops inside Lebanon, on the outskirts of the town of Bint Jbeil.
“Our main combat arena is here in Lebanon,” he stated.
Zamir said the army’s mission is to “continue deepening the damage and to continue weakening Hezbollah.”
He added that the objective is to remove the direct threat to residents of northern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered a potential boost to ceasefire efforts in the region when saying he had approved direct talks with Lebanon.
The announcement came after Israel’s pounding of Beirut Wednesday killed more than 300 people. The negotiations are expected next week in Washington.
