DM Gallant: IDF won’t allow terrorists to enter southern Lebanese villages; ‘Hezbollah has less than third of rockets left’

Even after Israel concludes its ground offensive and withdraws from southern Lebanon, the IDF won’t allow Hezbollah terrorists to return to the villages, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday.

Gallant visited the northern border to receive an overview of the activities of the IDF’s 91st Division, which is taking an active part in the ground operations.

“At this observation post, we can see the entire first line of villages with Hezbollah infrastructure. These are military targets containing underground tunnels and weapon storages – our troops found hundreds of RPGs, munition and anti-tank missiles here,” Gallant said.

“The IDF is currently destroying these means above and under the ground. I have instructed the IDF at all levels to ensure the destruction of [attack infrastructure] and to ensure that terrorists may not return to these places. This is essential in order to ensure the safety of Israel’s northern communities.”

“The IDF’s actions are powerful and effective – we are operating in the entire area. We have destroyed [attack] infrastructure in Beirut, in the Bekaa and across Lebanon, and now we are operating along the border. We will continue until operational requirements are achieved.”

Earlier in the day, Gallant and the commander of the IDF’s Strategy Division, Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Toledano, led a security review for the Cabinet ministers in the Knesset.

According to Ynet News, Gallant said that, by now, “the terror organization has less than a third of the rockets and missiles it had.” Estimates before the war set Hezbollah’s rocket and missile arsenal at up to 150,000.

Since the start of the war, Hezbollah has launched more than 14,000 rockets and missiles at Israel, and months of intense Air Force strikes have destroyed many more.

There was no mention of the extent to which Israeli attacks have impacted Hezbollah's large and dangerous drone arsenal.

In addition, Gallant and Toledano said Hezbollah’s high command has been eliminated almost entirely.

“Until now, it was a man [the killed leader Hassan Nasrallah] who had an organization and an organization that had a country. Now the man is no more, and there is a weakened organization.”

They also explained that ground operations were progressing as planned, according to specific tactical objectives, including clearing the rural areas between southern Lebanon’s villages, as well as the towns themselves, of Hezbollah infrastructure.

They said that IDF troops were very experienced and well-equipped but had little contact with the enemy in the field.

Gallant also mentioned there had been large gaps regarding the IDF's armaments when he entered his post and ordered to close them before the start of the war.

Despite this, he noted, “We still depend on American aerial weaponry and planes.”