by Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
"Recent statements from Beirut have made it clear a future war will have a clear address -- Lebanon,"
Incoming GOC Northern
Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and Maj.
Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Sunday
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Photo credit: Ancho Gosh / JINI  |
Israel's next armed conflict will likely be
with Hezbollah and other Lebanon-based terrorist groups, IDF Chief of
Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot said Sunday.
Eizenkot was speaking at a ceremony in the
Northern Command's headquarters, where Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick was named
GOC Northern Command, replacing Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who has been
tapped as the next deputy chief of staff.
"Terrorist groups and new threats have taken
the place of enemy armies. The relatively quiet security situation of
the last decade is an interest Israel and Lebanon share and considerable
efforts have been made to ensure it lasts. But the IDF is not fooled by
this lull and it remains vigilant, aware of the changes in the Syrian
and Lebanese sectors," the chief of staff said.
"Hezbollah continues its efforts to obtain
more accurate, deadlier weapons to target the Israeli homefront. Recent
statements from Beirut have made it clear a future war will have a clear
address -- the state of Lebanon and the terrorist groups operating on
its soil with its consent.
"We maintain Israel's security interests and
act to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, and we
will spare no effort to continue doing so in the future. The IDF has and
will continue to strive to improve readiness for any scenario, and it
is developing capabilities that give it a distinct advantage over its
rivals."
Eizenkot further expressed hope that "the IDF
will be able to maintain the reality here, in the north, for our benefit
and the benefit of the Lebanese people. Still, if we are required to
exercise force, I am convinced we have entrusted the [Northern] Command
to an officer who will know how to do that professionally and
decisively."
Kochavi noted that "we have much work ahead of
us. We have to continue planning and catching up to a dynamic reality.
Not far from here, a violent, brutal Middle East is brewing. I am proud
to have been the GOC of a command that thwarted terrorist activity on
the one hand, while on the other hand ensured wounded civilians and
children from enemy states could receive medical treatment in Israel."
Strick, formerly GOC Homefront Command, said,
"We will continue to boost deterrence and defer war, but when we have
to, we will act with determination and strength."
Lilach Shoval and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=41191
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