Israel's Halevi vows to 'continue striking Hezbollah', return evacuees

U.S. army chief Gen. CQ Brown and Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi made a joint visit Monday to the Israeli military’s Northern Command headquarters, a day after a major flare-up between Hezbollah and Israel.

“The commanders held a situational assessment in the IAF Operational Command Center yesterday (Sunday). Today (Monday), the commanders visited the headquarters of the Northern Command, where they were presented with the ongoing combat against Hezbollah during the war and the operational plans for the future,” the Israeli army said.

Speaking during the visit, Israel’s army chief said: “Our mission is clear: to return the residents of the north to their homes safely and as quickly as possible... We are very determined to continue striking Hezbollah, eliminate more leaders in its ranks, and strip it of its facilities and capabilities, and we do not stop.”

“About a month ago, we eliminated Hezbollah's most senior military commander, Fouad Shukur Mohsen... Yesterday, through a preemptive, preventive operation, we thwarted another attempt by Hezbollah to target the citizens of the State of Israel in the northern and central regions. The vast majority of the targets we destroyed yesterday were directed towards the north of the country,” Halevi added.

“Hezbollah has more capabilities and the mission is not yet complete. Our mission is clear: to return the residents of the northern region to their homes safely, and the IDF (Israeli army) is working around the clock to achieve this. We are determined to return the residents of the northern region to their homes safely as quickly as possible,” Halevi went on to say.