Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz appeared from the heart of the military scene in Lebanon, announcing that he had visited, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the sites of the 36th Division operating on the Lebanese front, in a field message through which Israel wanted to show the continuation of its military operations, and directly link them to what it calls the protection of the residents of the north.
Katz said, in a post on the “X” platform, that he and Netanyahu visited the 36th Division fighting in Lebanon today, with the participation of the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Commander of the Northern Region, noting that they spoke with the brigade commanders present in “the maneuver deep within the territory.”
The Israeli Defense Minister added that the delegation sensed, in his words, “a fighting spirit and a great belief in the justice of the path and the importance of the goal,” considering that the goal is “defending the people of the north.”
In a tone that reflected the continued Israeli escalation, Katz claimed that Hezbollah is “weak and exhausted” in every confrontation with Israeli forces, whether south of the Litani River or north of it, adding: “We pray for the safety of our heroic soldiers and wait for good news and achievements.”
The visit of Katz and Netanyahu to military sites related to operations in Lebanon carries more than a political and military significance, especially as it comes at a time when the Israeli leadership is seeking to establish the image that the Israeli army has moved from the stage of defending the borders to the stage of operations inside Lebanese territory, under the title of removing the danger from the northern settlements and preventing the repositioning of Hezbollah near the border.
Since the expansion of the confrontation on the Lebanese front, Israel has been keen to present its operations as part of a defensive battle linked to the return of the residents of the north, after the issue of Israeli refugees from the border settlements turned into major internal pressure on the Netanyahu government. Hence, the phrases used by Katz about “defending the people of the north” seem directed at the Israeli interior as much as they are directed at Hezbollah and Lebanon.
On the other hand, talk about the south and north of the Litani falls within an Israeli attempt to expand the framework of the confrontation and link it to a geographical depth beyond the traditional border strip. In Israeli discourse, Litani constitutes a central point in talking about Resolution 1701 and the demand to remove Hezbollah from the border areas, while Lebanon views the continuation of violations and operations inside its territory as an escalation that threatens stability and pushes the front to further explosion.
This field tour also comes in the context of repeated Israeli rhetoric that talks about weakening Hezbollah and depleting its capabilities, while the party continues to confirm its field presence through operations targeting the positions and movements of the Israeli army. Between the two stories, the Lebanese front remains open to multiple possibilities, in the absence of a clear settlement, and the south has turned into an arena for mutual military and political pressure.
Netanyahu’s participation in the visit gains additional importance, as the Israeli Prime Minister is trying to appear in the position of a leader who closely follows operations, in light of internal criticism affecting the management of the war on more than one front. Also, accompanying senior military leaders to sites linked to the 36th Division reflects an Israeli desire to demonstrate the cohesion of the political and military levels regarding the continuation of operations in Lebanon.
As for Katz, the message seems more direct: Israel, according to his speech, does not intend to retreat from military action as long as it considers Hezbollah to pose a threat to the population of the north. This speech puts the Lebanese front in front of a long period of exhaustion, as field visits and military statements are used to raise morale inside Israel and send political and security warnings to the Lebanese side.
In light of this scene, the visit of Netanyahu and Katz to the 36th Division appears to be part of the image battle as much as it is part of the military follow-up. Israel wants to say that its forces are moving deep into the front, and that it has the initiative, while the Lebanese territory remains under the pressure of escalation, and the south faces a very complex equation between military operations, Resolution 1701, ceasefire demands, and calculations of mutual deterrence.
(1): https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2060353374285922616?utm_source=chatgpt.com “Gen. Rafi Milo and IDF 36th Division Commander Brig. …”
