The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Herzi Halevi, congratulated this Wednesday on the attack by his troops in Beirut that caused the death of Hezbollah's military chief, Fuad Shukr, by stressing that the Israeli forces have the capacity to attack very precise points or even venture into the terrain.
«Yesterday afternoon we had the opportunity to eliminate Muhsan»said the military chief, referring to Shukr, during a training session for Israeli soldiers near the border between Israel and Lebanon.
"He was the highest-ranking military figure in Hezbollah, and he is also very close to (Lebanese militia leader Hasan) Nasrallah."he stressed.
According to Helevi, Shukr was responsible for ordering the attack that occurred on Saturday against the town of Majdal Shams, in which 12 children were killed, as well as Tuesday's attack in which another Israeli civilian was killed in HaGoshrim, in the Kyriat Shmona region, near the Israel-Lebanon border.
"The Israel Defense Forces know how to operate and hit a certain window in a Beirut neighborhood, they know how to target a certain underground point and we also know how to operate inside with great force"Halevi warned the soldiers, who practiced "extreme scenarios", such as combats in forests and mountains, activation of fire and combats in urbanized areas.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz addressed a letter to other diplomats in which he called for pressure to implement the UN resolution that implies the demilitarization of the border between Israel and Lebanon, as the only way to avoid a "total war" with Hezbollah.
For his part, David Mencer, spokesman for the Israeli Government, said at a press conference that "The responsibility for an escalation in the north falls squarely on Hezbollah and its leader, Iran."
Israel remains awaiting possible military retaliation in its territory after the attack in Beirut, as well as after the attack in Tehran that neutralized Ismail Haniyeh, political leader of Hamas.
"We are on extremely high alert," Mencer commented, ensuring that Israel is in "regular contact" at all levels with its main allies, especially the United States.
Agencies contributed to this Aurora article.