IDF Chief of Staff Warns Hezbollah During Visit to Beaufort Ridge

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Beaufort Ridge in southern Lebanon today (Sunday), where he conducted an operational assessment, toured the area, and met with soldiers serving along the northern border.

During the visit, Zamir descended into an underground tunnel network discovered beneath the ridge and praised the troops for their ongoing operational efforts in southern Lebanon.

Speaking at the site, the chief of staff emphasized the strategic importance of Beaufort Ridge, describing it as a major Hezbollah stronghold where the terrorist organization spent decades building military infrastructure with Iranian support.

"The Beaufort area is commanding terrain saturated with terror infrastructure," Zamir said. "The Hezbollah terror organization, with Iranian funding and direction, built significant underground routes in this area over the course of decades, carved deep into the mountain, to threaten the northern communities, including for headquarters, managing combat, firing positions, and launching terror operations."

He added, "Our forces control the key areas above ground and these routes below ground."

Zamir also called on the Lebanese Army to fulfill its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, urging it to remove Hezbollah operatives and terrorist infrastructure from the area.

"The Lebanese Army is required to fulfill its commitment to the historic agreement that was signed and act to clear the area of Hezbollah terrorists and terror infrastructure," he said.

At the same time, Zamir stressed that the IDF remains prepared to respond forcefully to any violations of the ceasefire.

"The IDF will continue to act decisively to remove threats from Lebanese territory and is prepared to move swiftly to strike if the ceasefire is violated," he said.

The chief of staff said IDF operations at Beaufort Ridge and throughout southern Lebanon are being carried out in accordance with the terms of the agreement and the mechanisms established under it, while continuing efforts to eliminate threats to Israel's northern communities.

"We continue to act to protect the residents of the north," Zamir said. "The orders are clear: any threat directed at our forces or the communities will be attacked immediately and removed."

Later in his remarks, Zamir praised the performance of the IDF's 36th Division during the fighting in southern Lebanon, crediting its operations with helping achieve the conditions that led to the agreement.

"Division 36—you operated offensively, crossed the Litani, and surprised the enemy. The agreement that was signed is thanks to you, the soldiers, and thanks to the actions led by Northern Command together with all the divisions that operated in the area," he said.

According to Zamir, the military campaign significantly weakened Hezbollah.

"The military achievements you secured weakened Hezbollah. It is exhausted and was defeated in every battle in which it encountered our forces, and now it is pinning its hopes on its Iranian patron to save it," he said.