The head of the IDF’s Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, recommended in recent closed discussions to allow the IDF to seize a security buffer zone in southern Lebanon, Yisrael Hayom reported on Monday According to the report, Gordon explained that current conditions would enable the IDF to carry out such a move swiftly, as many members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force who were deployed near the border fence have been killed or fled northward. Additionally, most of the civilian population has evacuated the villages of southern Lebanon. It is currently estimated that only about 20% of the Lebanese residents who lived close to the border before October 7 remain in their homes. The significant reduction in the civilian population will allow the IDF to carry out a military maneuver in the area quickly and smoothly. The goal of the maneuver is not only to eliminate the terror threat, pushing Hezbollah’s forces away so that they don’t pose a threat to northern residents, but also to gain leverage to reach a permanent agreement – as Hezbollah will be motivated to hold negotiations to force IDF forces to withdraw. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)