The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) deployed in northern Israel are at “peak readiness” amid growing tensions with Hezbollah, the commander of the IDF’s Northern Command said on September 18. Major General Ori Gordon made the comments after visiting the IDF’s 179th Reserve Armored Brigade, which was taking part in a brigade-level exercise in northern Israel.
The IDF is on alert after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded on September 17, causing injuries and killing 10 of the group’s members. On September 18, there were more reports of exploding communications devices and other equipment in Lebanon. One of the small explosions took place as Hezbollah members were apparently gathering for a funeral of one of the fallen from the previous day’s attacks. Hezbollah has vowed to respond to the attack, which it has blamed on Israel. In a statement to the group’s Al-Manar media, Hezbollah pledged to “double our determination for Jihad.”
In the wake of the exploding-pager incidents, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi held a situation assessment “focusing on readiness in both offense and defense in all arenas,” the IDF said. Despite the concerns about a Hezbollah escalation, the IDF did not change guidelines for the Home Front Command. In contrast, during previous escalations or fighting, Israel kept children at home from school or asked people not to gather in large numbers for ceremonies such as weddings.
The next day, September 18, Halevi went to the IDF’s Northern Command, where he said Israel was determined to “create the security conditions that will return the residents to their homes, to the communities.” Israel evacuated more than 60,000 people in October 2023 from northern Israel due to concerns about a war with Hezbollah. “We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated,” Halevi said, hinting that Israel was already working on new stages of a possible wider conflict with Hezbollah.
To bolster the IDF’s forces in northern Israel, the 98th Division was deployed there, according to reports on September 18. The 98th Division has played a key role in battles in Gaza, often acting as the IDF’s elite unit sent to deal with the most pressing problems, such as rooting out Hamas terrorists in Khan Younis. Comprised of brigades of paratroopers and commandos, the 98th Division is akin to an elite infantry unit. In Gaza, the 7th Armored Brigade was attached to the 98th so it would have a large tank force alongside its commandos. The 7th Armored is usually part of the IDF’s 36th Division, which was redeployed to the north in early 2024 to face off against possible Hezbollah threats. Reports did not indicate if the 7th Armored had also been sent to the north to return to its division.
The 98th Division’s move to northern Israel increases the IDF’s existing deployment facing Hezbollah. It includes the IDF’s 91st Division in northern Galilee and the 210th Division in the Golan, along with numerous reserve brigades that have been conducting brigade-level training to prepare for possible war.
For instance, the 11th Reserve Brigade conducted a training in early September. The IDF also said that “two brigade-level exercises of the 179th and 769th Brigades” took place during the third week of September. The exercises, which focused on readiness for terrain in the north, included simulating operations in enemy territory, evacuating wounded from the field under fire, the operations of the various headquarters, and defending the northern region.” The 179th is an armored reserve unit, while the 769th is responsible for the eastern Galilee sector facing Lebanon.
Gordin, head of Israel’s Northern Command, underpinned the importance of the training and the IDF’s high level of readiness for war by noting that “the mission is clear—we are determined to change the security reality as soon as possible.” His comments came as Hezbollah continued to launch dozens of rockets at northern Israel and as Iranian-backed militias in Iraq launched a drone at Israel on September 18. The Israeli Air Force intercepted the drone.
