Israel Air Force chief: We're preparing to assist troops in ground ops. against Hezbollah

Israel Air Force chief Tomer Bar said on Thursday in a video published by the IDF that the air force was preparing to assist troops in ground operations against Hezbollah.

The air force will stop any arms transfers from Iran to Hezbollah and is preparing to assist troops in any ground operations against the Lebanese group, Bar stated.

"Now, in Lebanon, we are going to prevent any possibility of weapon transfers from Iran in light of the capabilities we’ve now degraded from Hezbollah," Bar said.

"[Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan] Nasrallah's confidence ... depends on the supply coming from Iran," he added, noting that Hezbollah's functionality and ability to recover from Israel's strikes were also dependent on the ability to access Iranian resources.

"We are preparing, shoulder-to-shoulder, with Northern Command for a ground maneuver"

"We are preparing, shoulder-to-shoulder, with Northern Command for a ground maneuver. We are preparing. Whether it will be carried out is a decision that is above us," he told the soldiers present.

"What we demonstrated in the Southern Command during the operations in Gaza, with the aerial support surrounding each combat team, down to the individual soldier going in, will be the starting point in the North," Bar continued.

"The threats [in Lebanon] are greater," he noted, emphasizing "the importance of this partnership in the combined maneuver, both ground and air."

"We will continue to apply pressure as needed. The targets are both pre-planned targets and targets that emerge in real-time, using all the capabilities within the air force."

"The pressure will increase as required, without limitations to specific areas or types," adding that the IAF was  prepared to strike targets located "underground, above ground, in southern Lebanon, and Beirut."

"Not only the North, Hezbollah has capabilities that reach the Center and even the South. This is our opportunity to degrade them, taking them out from the air and from the ground in an organized manner," he further stated.