“Hamas will regret starting war; it`s already regretting it”

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, made a statement on Tuesday afternoon (October 25) regarding the continuation of fighting against Hamas on the 18th day of the war, reports israelnationalnews.com.

"The State of Israel is in the midst of a war initiated by the terrorist organization Hamas. It will regret it, it is starting to regret it already. The battles of citizens, members of the security forces, soldiers, and commanders on Oct 7th deserve great appreciation. Many hundreds of terrorists were killed thanks to the bravery of the fighters. IDF forces now have control of the area, defending it strongly. Vigilance is still required," stated Halevi.

He added that the training for the next phase - the ground entry - continues. "I meet with the forces in the field and brief them, talking with the combat soldiers, with the commanders, I just came from a visit to another division. We trained for this, we equipped ourselves well, and we are among the most advanced in the world. But above all, we have the best fighters for these missions. The IDF and the Southern Command planned high-quality attack plans to achieve the goals of the war."

"I want it to be clear - the IDF is ready for maneuvering, and we will make a decision together with the political echelon regarding the essence and timing of the next step. We are waging a war, at this stage there are tactical and strategic considerations that allow us more time to improve and use every minute to be even more prepared. On the other hand, every minute that passes on the other side, we attack the enemy more, kill his operatives, kill his commanders, destroy his infrastructure, and gather more intelligence for what's to come. We are holding him in suspense, now the enemy is the one who is waiting vigilantly," Halevi stressed.

He noted that Israel is not easing the pressure exerted against Hamas. "We are attacking Gaza all the time and non-stop; day and night, from the air, from the sea, and from the land, targets based on quality and focused intelligence. Our ground troops are at the borders, meeting enemy units almost every night, and hitting them: infantry, armor, engineering, and artillery, together with all the IDF branches, the Air Force, Navy, and intelligence, they all work together for one goal - the defense of the State of Israel. In the north of the country, on the Lebanese border, the IDF forces are determined at the line of contact, we immediately attack any Hezbollah unit that is interested in or tries to harm Israeli citizens or IDF soldiers. Hezbollah is an organization that cooperates with the murderous attacks of Hamas, thus identifying with ISIS, under the guise of “protecting Lebanon”. We are strongly prepared, ready, and alert also for the possibility of the expansion of the war zones, near and far. In light of the situation in the north, we decided to evacuate many residents from their homes. It's not convenient, but it's much safer. We are working on this and will work to restore security to the northern border."_Agencies.