The Israeli military says it requires additional troops for deployment in southern Lebanon, where forces are engaged in fighting Hezbollah as part of efforts to establish a buffer zone, AFP reports.

“On the Lebanese front, the forward defensive zone that we are creating requires additional IDF forces,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin has said in a televised briefing, noting that the military is operating simultaneously across multiple fronts, including the West Bank, Gaza and Syria.

“For that, more combat soldiers are needed in the IDF. “