Israel: Hezbollah Intended to Execute an Attack 'Like October 7'

The Israeli army states that Hezbollah intended to use residential homes in southern Lebanon as a base for an 'October 7-style attack' on Israel. Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli army, made this statement in English while Israel has begun limited ground operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying that this 'terrorist group' aimed to use villages near the border to 'prepare for an October 7-style attack on Israeli homes.' He stated, 'Hezbollah has turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases for attacking Israel.' Hagari indicated that this group, supported by the Iranian government, intended to 'attack Israel and Israeli communities, massacring innocent men, women, and children. They named this plan 'Fath al-Jalil.' According to the Times of Israel, the spokesperson for the Israeli army promised, nearly a year after around 3,000 Hamas-led militants invaded Israel through land, air, and sea, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, mostly civilians, 'We will not allow October 7 to be repeated at any of our borders.' Hagari referenced UN Resolution 1701 from 2006, which prohibits Hezbollah's military presence south of the Litani River, located about 30 kilometers (approximately 20 miles) from the southern Lebanese border. The Israeli army spokesperson stated, 'Eighteen years after Resolution 1701, Hezbollah is the largest non-state army in the world, and southern Lebanon is filled with Hezbollah terrorists and weapons.' He emphasized that Israel's war is against 'the Iranian government-supported terrorist group,' not the people of Lebanon, and noted that 'the Israeli army is taking measures to prevent civilian casualties,' stating, 'If the country of Lebanon and the world cannot keep Hezbollah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves.' Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said yesterday that Beirut is ready to fully implement Resolution 1701 and deploy the Lebanese army in the south of the river. The Israeli army spokesperson announced early Tuesday, October 1, that 'the Israeli army has begun targeted and limited ground operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets.' He named this operation 'Northern Arrows.' The spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told the Times of Israel that the limited attacks the Israeli army conducted against Hezbollah positions on the Lebanese side of the Blue Line 'are in line with Israel's right to defend its citizens and restore civilians safely to their homes.'