Israeli army division diverted from Gaza fighting to Lebanon border amid Hezbollah escalation

Israeli soldiers in northern Israel

Yaniv Kubovich reports in Haaretz on 18 September 2024:

The Israeli army moved the 98th Division, whose forces have been fighting until recently in the Gaza Strip, to Israel’s north following the cabinet’s decision to shift most of the military’s capabilities to the region.

The decision to reassign the division, just a day after the Israeli-attributed pager attack in Lebanon and Syria and following Hezbollah’s threats of a retaliation, includes the deployment of large forces at the northern border to prevent a wide-scale attack by the organization.

The 98th Division, which includes the Paratroopers and the Commando brigades, will join the 36th Division, which has been deployed in northern Israel for several months.

In addition, the IDF decided on a limited recruitment of reserve personnel to be deployed in the north in case of a security escalation, including air defense, Home Front Command and Medical Corps personnel.

The head of the IDF’s Northern Command, Major General Uri Gordin, said the IDF “is determined to change the security situation as soon as possible. The commanders and the forces are completely committed – at peak preparedness for any task they will be required to do.”

A statement from the IDF said forces of the 179th Brigade and the 769th Brigade completed two exercises, simulating scenarios involving maneuvering in enemy territory and evacuating wounded from the battlefield under fire.

Against the backdrop of worsening security tensions, the IDF decided to postpone the memorial ceremony for the Golani Brigade’s fallen soldiers, which was supposed to take place Wednesday evening. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Major General Ori Gordin were scheduled to attend the event.

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