On Wednesday, the Israeli government approved the call-up of 50,000 additional reserve soldiers, bringing the number of reserve soldiers to 350,000.

"Israel Today" newspaper said: "The Israeli army says that increasing the reserve quota from 300,000 to 350,000 has nothing to do with preparations for the north, but rather due to the prolongation of the operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip."

As Israeli Broadcasting Corporation military correspondent Itai Blumenthal said in a post on the X platform: “The Israeli army says that the increase in the reserve quota that will be submitted for government approval is not related to the north (with Lebanon) and that the decision to increase the quota by 50 thousand is because the activity in Rafah is consuming More people than previously planned.

Earlier, Israeli Army Radio said: “The government allowed the army forces to increase the number of reserve conscripts from 300,000 to 350,000 in preparation for fighting in the north,” referring to the Lebanon front.

The Hebrew Broadcasting Authority also said earlier that the Israeli army requested an increase in the number of reserve soldiers “against the possibility of carrying out a large-scale operation in the north.”

On Tuesday, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy, from the northern front, said: “We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made, and the army is ready and very prepared for this decision.”

Halevy added, according to a statement: “We have been attacking Hezbollah for 8 months, and it is paying a very, very high price.”

He continued: "Hezbollah has increased the pace in recent days, and we are ready after a very good process that included training and even an exercise at the staff command level about moving to the attack in the north. A strong defensive situation and preparation for the attack. We are approaching the decision-making point."

Since last October 8, the Lebanese-Israeli border has witnessed, on a daily basis, mutual and intermittent bombardment between the Israeli army on the one hand, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions in Lebanon on the other hand, which left dead and wounded on both sides of the border.