Israel is fighting a "long war", the country's military chief told its soldiers and commanders a day ahead of the first anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack, vowing to wipe out its "enemies" who seek to destroy Israel. Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, Chief of the General Staff of Israel, praised their commitment and courage as the Middle East stared at uncertainty, plunging into more violence by the day. He asserted every day was becoming worse for their "enemies".
"This is a long war, measured not only by capabilities but also by willpower and perseverance over time. For our enemies - every month, every week, and every day is worse than the one before," the army chief said in his message.
Hamas, a Palestinian group that runs Gaza, launched an unprecedented attack on Israeli border towns on October 7, 2023, massacring over a thousand civilians. They called their attack the 'Al-Aqsa Flood', named after a holy site in Jerusalem that remains a bone of contention for Israel and Palestine and is believed to be sacred by both Jews and Muslims. The attack sparked the ongoing West Asia conflict.
Israel marked the war anniversary with vigils at massacre sites while Hamas said the attack shattered the "illusion" of superiority that Israel had.
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"A year has passed since October 7th, the day we failed in our mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel," said the Lieutenant General on Sunday. After the war ends, Halevi said, the enemies of Israel will know there will be no revival for those who seek to destroy the country.
The army chief further said a generation of warriors and commanders with unparalleled experience have emerged from this war. In his message, Halevi claimed Israel has defeated the military wing of Hamas, but continues to fight its "terrorist capabilities". "We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership," he added.
Israel is fighting a multi-front war against the Hamas in Gaza and Lebanon on its northern border. It is also fighting Iran, which last week launched a barrage of missiles after the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, besides conducting airstrikes in Yemen.
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"We are not stopping - we fight, debrief, learn, and improve...We are destroying our enemies' capabilities, and we will ensure that these capabilities are not rebuilt, so that October 7th is never repeated," said the army chief.
The message from the commander-in-chief seeks to boost the morale of the troops with the focus of the war shifting from Gaza to Lebanon and its ally Iran.
With Iran entering the war, Israel now faces an even tougher challenge, especially after a warning from its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that Israel will "not last long".
The Middle East crisis has sparked a rise in oil price across the world. The US and other countries have urged Israel and Iran to avoid an all-out war amid fears of a retaliation to the missile attacks.
