Ahead of Lebanon blasts, Israel doubled down on northern front
Israel emphasized securing its frontier with Lebanon as a key war goal and equipped border forces with thousands of advanced new rifles on Monday, a day before an apparent Israeli attack detonated pagers carried by Hezbollah members across Lebanon.
The security cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to add "returning the residents of the north safely to their homes" to the formal war aims of the conflict which began on October 7.
Israel also provided nearly 100 rapid response units on its northern border with 9,000 Arad rifles according to the ministry of defense.
Around 60,000 residents of Israeli border communities have been evacuated since Hezbollah joined the conflict in solidarity with Palestinian Hamas fighters. Tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians have also fled the ongoing fighting.
Each Israeli unit has been outfitted with combat and rescue gear, medical supplies, uniforms, and protective equipment, the Israeli ministry of defense added.
The initiative "is part of our policy to bolster border defense while enhancing self-reliant production capabilities", its director general Maj. Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir said.
