Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to push north into Lebanon in the face of Tuesday’s Iranian missile barrage and frontline casualties. Despite complaints from the Biden administration, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet appear determined to destroy Hezbollah’s military capabilities.

In particular, Israel is concentrating on Hezbollah’s operations south of the Litani River, which violate U.N. Resolution 1701, establishing a buffer zone after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Netanyahu “is going to take care of the near-term threats in southern Lebanon,” predicted Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) on Wednesday’s “Washington Watch,” or “move the Hezbollah infrastructure north of the Litani River, at least.”

After issuing a warning on Tuesday for civilians to evacuate from areas south of the Litani River, Israel on Thursday warned civilians to evacuate new areas, including Nabatieh, a provincial capital. Israel advised civilians to relocate beyond the Awali River, 36 miles north of the border. (For readers who want to follow along on their Bible maps, the Litani River flows to the sea just north of Tyre, and the Awani River flows to the sea just north of Sidon.)

Hezbollah claimed to have killed Israeli soldiers with a roadside bomb in the border village of Maroun el-Ras, although Israel did not confirm the details. The IDF said Wednesday that eight of its soldiers have been killed so far during the ground incursion.

The Israeli operation in Lebanon is not confined to ground operations. The IDF said Thursday that it has conducted 200 airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, killing at least 15 fighters and striking weapons depots and sentry outposts. The Associated Press reports that two soldiers in the regular Lebanese army have been killed, although it’s unclear if these soldiers were also working for Hezbollah; most of the Lebanese army has withdrawn before Israel’s advance.

As Israel prepared to enter Lebanon earlier this week, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hurriedly pledged to fully implement U.N resolution 1701 and remove Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River. But the Lebanese government, which is infiltrated by Hezbollah, has been unwilling and/or unable to do so for the past 18 years since Hezbollah violated the ceasefire agreement in 2006. For the past year, as Hezbollah militants shelled Israel with daily rocket barrages from Lebanon, the Lebanese government took no steps to implement the U.N. resolution and remove Hezbollah until Israel was ready to take their security into their own hands.

In addition, Israel continues to carry out precise airstrikes against Hezbollah assets in Beirut, striking a Hezbollah medical office on Wednesday and a Hezbollah media office on Thursday. (Israel has not published the intelligence that prompted these strikes, such as information about whether weapons were stored in the facilities.)

Israel maintains this vigorous push against Hezbollah in Lebanon as it contemplates options to respond to Tuesday’s intense barrage of missiles launched directly from Iran. The Islamist government of Iran uses Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and other radical Islamist terrorist groups as pawns in its geopolitical chess match against Israel. As ever, the regime remains committed to destroying the world’s only Jewish state.