Israel deploys forces to Lebanon border after pager attack on Hezbollah
Reflecting a shift in priorities, the Israeli military has transferred the elite 98th Division from the Gaza Strip to the Lebanon border area.
One day after the large-scale pager attack that targeted Hezbollah militants across Lebanon, the Israeli military decided to move its 98th Division, which until now has been fighting in Gaza, to the Lebanon border region, indicating a shift in focus from the southern arena to the northern one.
The attack, in which pager devices carried by Hezbollah members were rigged to explode, killed at least 12 in Lebanon — including two children — and injured 2,800, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Israel's military radio reported Wednesday that the army "redeploys 98th Division to northern front," adding that "the elite force was set to continue fighting in Gaza, but army chiefs decided to send it north in the past 24 hours."
Israeli authorities insisted Tuesday there was no change in instructions for the homefront, but several mayors, both in the north and in the Tel Aviv area, conducted security consultations and decided to open the public shelters for those who do not have shelters at home.
