4 View gallery
Northern Command change-of-command ceremony at the Dado base in Safed
(Photo: Eitan Glikman)
4 View gallery
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and incoming and outgoing Northern Command chiefs Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin
(Photo: Eitan Glikman)
Milo vowed to build on the gains of the war, return all displaced residents safely and turn the region into a “flourishing, thriving” area. “The war is not over,” he said. “We will continue until we meet all its goals.”
Addressing Milo, Zamir said the Northern Command under his leadership will remain “alert, prepared, proactive and offensive” to secure the border and strengthen public confidence as residents return.
Earlier Wednesday, Zamir visited Lebanon with 91st Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yuval Gez, 769th Brigade Commander Col. Y. and other senior officers. Speaking to troops, Zamir said the army had “changed the security reality in the northern sector,” citing unprecedented achievements since the ceasefire, including the killing of more than 240 terrorists and roughly 600 airstrikes.
“In the morning, we approved plans for the takeover of Gaza and now we are in Lebanon,” Zamir said, noting operations are also underway in Syria, Yemen, the West Bank and with close monitoring of Iran. “We are in a multi-front war, adapting concepts to the threats. We initiate attacks in all arenas, neutralizing threats as we identify them. Our offensive approach and initiative are at the center.”
Zamir urged soldiers to use the current period to accomplish their missions while strengthening morale and readiness. “We face many more challenges ahead,” he said. “Our job is to shape our national security as we see fit. We will not go backward. We are operating under a new strategic concept — we will not allow threats to grow.”
“Neither I nor any Lebanese official allows ourselves to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs, whether by favoring one party over another or by opposing sovereign Iranian decisions,” Salam said. “Lebanon will not in any way accept interference in its internal affairs, and it expects a clear and explicit commitment from the Iranian side to these rules.”
He added that Lebanese government decisions are not subject to debate in any other country, and that the country’s decision-making center is the Council of Ministers. “Lebanon’s decisions are made solely by the Lebanese, who take orders from no one.”
Salam stressed that Lebanon, “the first to defend the Palestinian cause and the one that has paid the highest price against Israel, does not need lessons from anyone.” He said the government will continue to use all available political, diplomatic and legal means to compel Israel to withdraw immediately from “occupied Lebanese territory” and halt its attacks.
All engagement with Lebanon, Salam added, must go exclusively through the country’s constitutional institutions, not via any political party or parallel channel, and any foreign aid will be welcomed only if it is delivered through official channels.
