The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued to train and prepare for a possible ground offensive against Hezbollah on September 30, amid growing reports in Western and regional media that an operation is imminent. The IDF also declared a closed military zone in several communities along the border with Lebanon. It prohibited entry to Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi near the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona. The closures appeared linked to the possibility of a ground offensive.
Over the last month, the IDF has rapidly shifted forces to the north while striking at Hezbollah’s command and control. The Israeli government added a new goal to its war effort on September 17, making the return of residents to communities in northern Israel a primary goal of the war. This set the stage for the IDF’s wider strikes against Hezbollah commanders and other targets.
On September 30, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited the 188th Armored Brigade in northern Israel. “The elimination of Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the final one. In order to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities, we will employ all of our capabilities, and this includes you,” Gallant said. His meeting with the armored unit is one of several Israeli officials and military brass have had with the key units expected to be involved in a ground offensive into Lebanon.
Israeli Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi met with elements of the IDF’s 7th Armored Brigade on September 25, as the unit conducted a training exercise designed to simulate a potential conflict against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. At the time, Halevi indicated Israel was preparing for a ground offensive. Major General Ori Gordin, the head of IDF Northern Command, and Gallant also met with the 7th Armored amid the same training.
Gallant’s visit with the 188th Armored Brigade and the Golani Infantry Brigade on September 30 completes the cycle of visits over the past week as the IDF prepares for the next steps in Lebanon. The 188th Armored, the 7th Armored, and the Golani Infantry are all part of the IDF’s 36th Division, which is expected to play a major role in any future ground war against Hezbollah. The division fought in Gaza during the opening part of the ground campaign between October and December 2023. Most of the division was then transferred to northern Israel, while the 7th Armored remained in Gaza. However, along with the IDF’s 98th Division, which includes commandos and paratroopers, the 7th Armored also moved to northern Israel recently to prepare for war with Hezbollah.
The meeting between Gallant and the troops signals that the IDF is serious about the potential to move forward on the ground after a week of intense airstrikes that began on September 23. The IDF dubbed the operation against Hezbollah “Northern Arrows.”
During the Defense Minister’s trip to the north, his office said he was “briefed by commanders on the ground, about the readiness of troops for the possibility of expanding activities in the northern arena.” Gallant has favored a more aggressive approach to Hezbollah since the first days after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
Hezbollah began its attacks on Israel on October 8 and has launched more than 8,000 rockets at Israel since then. The Iranian-backed group has extended the range of those attacks several times, often claiming to be responding to Israeli strikes. After the IDF attacked Beirut on September 20, Hezbollah extended the range of its rocket fire deep into northern Israel and also targeted areas near Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On September 29, Hezbollah claimed to use what it calls its Fadi-1 missiles to strike at an IDF base. The group also claimed, via the pro-Iranian al-Mayadeen media, to have hit 11 other sites in northern Israel, including the city of Rosh Pina.
There is a widespread expectation that Israel will begin a ground offensive against Hezbollah soon. For example, on September 30, Al-Ain media, an Arabic-language website in the UAE, ran the headline “Israeli forces infiltrate Lebanon,” while Israel’s Ynet media stated, “Israel planning to launch ground operation in Lebanon at any moment, reports say.”
