Hezbollah continued to attack Israel in the North with rockets, anti-tank missiles, and gunfire on Friday and Saturday, killing an IDF soldier and wounding at least two foreign workers on the Israeli side.
Corporal Tamir Barak, 19 years old from Kibbutz Nir Eliyahu, was later identified as the soldier murdered by Hezbollah fire.
The IDF responded using aerial strikes, artillery, infantry, and other means to widely attack Hezbollah positions on the border several times over the weekend, including in the Mount Dov area.
One goal of the military is to make it harder for Hezbollah to keep up with the almost constant exchanges since Hamas invaded on October 7, without falling into a broader conflict in the North.
Also over the weekend, the IDF evacuated Kiryat Shmona, near the border with Lebanon.
The measure came following two previous evacuations of Israelis living within two and then five kilometers from the border.
On Saturday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held an operational situation assessment in the IDF’s 91st Division, together with the division commander, brigade commanders, and soldiers stationed in the northern region.
Gallant was briefed on the deployment of troops along the border and in nearby communities, as well as on defense and counterterrorism activities in the area.
'We will turn things around 180 degrees'
“Hezbollah has decided to participate in the fighting and is paying a price for it. We must be vigilant and prepare for every possible [scenario]. Great challenges await us,” Gallant told the soldiers. “Your duty is to prepare for defense and for anything else that may be required. We are in a war. We had no choice. We will act wherever necessary and we will win this war.
“Just two weeks ago, Hamas launched a war against us in the South. This war was designed to murder, kidnap, rape, and harm children, Holocaust survivors, and women. Moreover, it [the attacks] was documented and published by Hamas, in order to deter the State of Israel,” the defense minister said. “We will turn things around 180 degrees – the day of the attack will be remembered as the day that started the final and complete destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization.”
He added that, “The challenges ahead of us may increase, and we have to be ready for any scenario," he said. "The State of Israel, the defense establishment, and the IDF are proud of you, and above all, we trust you.”
Gallant later met with mayors and councils in the North and helped them reinforce the authorities for managing the situation on the home front.