Israel army chief in south Lebanon, says Hezbollah in ‘difficult position’

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military chief said on Sunday that Hezbollah had suffered a severe blow fighting Israeli forces and was now in a “very difficult position”, as he met with troops in southern Lebanon.

He spoke as the United States and Iran held talks in Switzerland after signing a preliminary agreement to end the broader Middle East war, with the conflict in Lebanon threatening to derail the deal.

“Hezbollah has suffered a severe and significant blow, and we are committed to remaining prepared to continue operating and prevent its rebuilding,” Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said, according to a military statement.

“Hezbollah is in a very difficult position,” he added.

Hezbollah had pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war in early March when the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.

Despite a new ceasefire announcement on Friday as part of the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington, Israel and Hezbollah had continued to clash.

However, there were no reports of fresh strikes in Lebanon since Saturday evening.

Zamir vowed to defend the communities of northern Israel from Hezbollah rockets.

“This is the purpose guiding all our efforts… The ceasefire that has been declared is fragile, and we must maintain a high level of readiness for the renewal of combat operations,” Zamir said.

Earlier on Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces had standing orders to act against any threat inside Lebanon and insisted they would remain in the so-called security zone established within Lebanese territory.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters engaged in fierce clashes this week, with Lebanese officials reporting dozens of people killed and the Israeli military reporting five of its own soldiers dead.