For Israel, the “center of gravity” of the war “is moving north”

Israel speaks out on Middle East war, but not on pager and walkie-talkie explosions. “center of gravity” of war “moves north”, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday, September 18, referring to the front with Lebanese Hezbollah, as compared to the fighting against Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “We have not forgotten the hostages [retenus à Gaza] and we have not forgotten our missions in the south”Yoav Gallant stressed.

“We are at the beginning of a new phase of the war, which demands from us courage, determination and perseverance,” he added. “Our duty binds us, and we carry out our tasks simultaneously” to the north and to the south. For him, the “stain” of Israel is “clear” : “Ensuring the safe return of northerners to their homes.” His remarks were echoed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi in ​​separate statements. “We will bring the northerners home safely”notably promised Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli leaders’ statements come as Lebanon has been rocked for two days by a wave of explosions involving transmission devices used by Hezbollah. On Wednesday, walkie-talkie explosions killed 14 people and injured more than 450 in the Lebanese movement’s strongholds, according to authorities. On Tuesday, pagers killed 12 people and injured about 2,800 in Lebanon. Israeli authorities have not commented on the explosions.