The chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Northern Command, Major General Ori Gordin, claimed on Wednesday that the military has to be prepared for the ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. “We need to change the security situation, we need to be very strongly prepared to enter in a [ground] maneuver,” Gordin told Israeli troops, adding that the operation started “with a very significant strike on Hezbollah’s capabilities” and leadership. Previously, the IDF said that it intercepted a missile near Tel Aviv launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon, the first one to reach close to the city since the beginning of the militant group’s continuous attacks on Israel in October 2023.