Israel’s Northern Command prepares for possible ground operation

Seth J. Frantzman | Sept 25, 2024

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continued to strike Hezbollah sites in Lebanon on September 25, the third day of Israel’s “Northern Arrows” operation. In addition, the head of Israel’s Northern Command spoke to commanders of a key IDF armored brigade about the need to be ready for maneuver and action in Lebanon. The IDF said it was calling up two reserve brigades for operations in the north. Hezbollah also sought to illustrate that it possesses significant capabilities to strike at northern and central Israel.

The third day of Israel’s Operation Northern Arrows began with Hezbollah launching a ballistic missile toward Tel Aviv. The Iranian-backed terrorist group claimed in a statement that it had used a Qader-1 missile to target Israel’s Mossad headquarters. Hezbollah has blamed the Mossad for the exploding pagers that wounded thousands of its members on September 17. The ballistic missile was intercepted by Israel’s David’s Sling air defense system.

Hezbollah continued its attacks throughout the day. The group launched a barrage of rockets targeting the northern Israeli city of Safed. The group claimed it had targeted Israel’s Northern Command, which is also known as Mahane Dado or the Dado military base. A Hezbollah rocket hit a home in Safed, and another rocket hit a house in Kibbutz Sa’ar in northern Israel in a separate attack, wounding two people.

The wide-ranging Hezbollah attacks on September 25 illustrate that the group has the capability to launch short-, medium-, and long-range projectiles at Israel. The missile targeting an area near Tel Aviv is how Hezbollah has sought to even the score in terms of attacking deeper into Israel in response to Israel’s attacks on Beirut and the exploding pagers incident.

On September 24, Major General Ori Gordin, head of Israel’s Northern Command, met with commanders of the 7^th Armored Brigade. The brigade was conducting an exercise near the northern border, and the general “assessed their readiness and conducted an operational situational assessment with them,” the IDF said.

“We need to change the security situation, and we must be fully prepared for maneuvers and action,” Gordin said. He also emphasized the need to be ready to act in a way that would enable the 60,000 Israelis who have been evacuated to for 11 months to return to border communities, Israel’s goal for its current operation.

The 7th Armored is a key IDF unit. It played a central role in operations in Gaza from October 7 through July 2024. It is one of several regular tank brigades in the IDF, along with the 188^th and 401^st Brigades. The 188^th and the 7^th Armored are usually part of the IDF’s 36^th Armored Division, which fought in the opening ground operations in October and November, cutting off Gaza City from central Gaza.

The 36^th Division was sent to northern Israel in January 2024 to prepare for possible confrontation with Hezbollah. However, the 7^th Armored was left in Gaza with the IDF’s 98^th Division, which needed an armored component to operate in Gaza’s Khan Younis and other areas. After completing numerous successful missions, the 98^th was sent north in September in the lead-up to Operation Northern Arrows. The 7^th Armored also went north to a terrain and area it is used to. The unit has often trained with the IDF’s Golani infantry, which is also part of the 36^th Division, in combined operations similar to the challenges the IDF will face in southern Lebanon.

In this context, Gordin’s comments to the 7^th Armored are seen as important for any future ground operation. In addition, his remarks were released hours before the IDF said it was calling up two reserve brigades for operations in the north. “This will enable the continuation of combat against the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the defense of the State of Israel, and create the conditions to enable the residents of northern Israel to return to their homes,” the IDF stated.

The reserve brigades will add to the weight of several IDF divisions already deployed in northern Israel. These include the 91^st Division, responsible for defending the border with Lebanon, the 36^th Armored Division, and the 98^th Division, with its paratroopers and commandos.

Reporting from Israel, Seth J. Frantzman is an adjunct fellow at FDD and a contributor to FDD’s Long War Journal. He is the senior Middle East correspondent and analyst at The Jerusalem Post, and author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024).