Gantz calls for army to move north 'in preparation for a possible offensive'

The leader of Israel's Union Party, Benny Gantz, stated on Wednesday that "it is time to demand a price for military targets and infrastructure of the Lebanese state, including Hezbollah," and to move the Israeli army to the northern border with Lebanon.

Speaking at a conference at Reichman University in Herzliya, Gantz, a former member of the war cabinet, noted that "the operational effort should have been shifted to the North (the border with Lebanon) in March, as we had requested," according to reports from Haaretz. Opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he further demanded "a plan to repatriate hostages, even at the cost of painful efforts," and the relocation of the army to the North "in preparation for a potential offensive."

Gantz accused Netanyahu of refusing to include the return of northern residents to their homes by Sept. 1 as a war objective. "Unfortunately, the Prime Minister hesitated, and we are paying the price. And the price is heavy," he declared.

Tens of thousands of Israelis are currently displaced due to the fighting between the Israeli army and Hezbollah since Oct. 8, 2023.