Major General Ori Gordin, commander of the IDF's Northern Command, said in a conversation with residents of northern Israel that in his opinion, it was a mistake to evacuate some of the towns in the area, Ynet reported.

In his conversation with residents of Manot, Gordin said, "In hindsight, I would have avoided evacuating towns in the north such as Ya'ara, Betzet, and Liman. Hezbollah's greatest achievement is the fact that there are tens of thousands evacuees from northern Israel."

The residents demanded that the IDF change its defense protocol and move the war into Lebanese territory. Gordin responded that at the current stage, Israel needs to maximize the potential for a diplomatic solution, though in his opinion, the chances that diplomacy will succeed are low.

Gordin also said that a diplomatic solution which would remove Hezbollah from the border area, military or a war in the north aimed at achieving this goal, will be possible only after the fighting in southern Israel is completed.

He also noted that the IDF has destroyed all of Hezbollah's visible forward posts, as well as some which were hidden. Gordin stressed that the IDF is well-prepared to defend against a ground invasion by the Radwan force, as well as all other threats.