Israel’s Northern Command chief says the military overestimated the damage inflicted on Hezbollah during its 2024 ground offensive, Al Jazeera reports citing recordings referenced by the Israeli media.

Major General Rafi Milo, in remarks aired by Channel 12 and cited by The Times of Israel, says there is a “gap” between the army’s assessment of Hezbollah’s capabilities after the operation and the group’s current ability to carry out attacks.

“There is a gap between how we finished [Operation] ‘Northern Arrows’ and what we understood and thought, and how suddenly, we still find Hezbollah [active],” Milo says, referring to continued rocket fire on northern Israel. 

Israeli officials now reportedly assess that Hezbollah retains hundreds of launchers and tens of thousands of rockets.

Milo made the comments during a meeting with residents of Misgav Am, where he apologised for the killing of a 60-year-old resident who was mistakenly hit by Israeli artillery fire last month, saying the incident “shouldn’t have happened”.

In separate remarks, he also cast doubt on whether the joint US-Israeli offensive against Iran would lead to the overthrow of its government, saying it appeared “still stable” and that an agreement may ultimately be needed.