JERUSALEM (VINnews) – IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir declared Thursday that operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon constitute the Israeli military’s main focus of combat, emphasizing that the IDF remains actively at war in the sector despite a fragile regional situation.

“The IDF is in a state of war, we are not in a ceasefire. We continue to fight here in this sector, this is our primary combat zone,” Zamir said during a visit to the outskirts of Bint Jbeil, a Hezbollah stronghold where Israeli forces have engaged in intense battles with the Iran-backed terrorist group.

Zamir added that Israel maintains a ceasefire with Iran but stands ready to resume operations there forcefully if needed.

“In Iran, we are in a ceasefire, and we can return to fighting there at any moment, and in a very powerful way,” he said.

The comments were released Friday morning in a video by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

The remarks come amid ongoing Israeli military activity in southern Lebanon aimed at degrading Hezbollah’s capabilities and preventing the group from re-establishing its presence near the border following the escalation that began after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Israeli forces have conducted targeted operations in villages and areas long used by Hezbollah for attacks on northern Israel.