The general of the Israel Defense Forces Northern Command gave his farewell speech early this week. Major General Amir Baram has served honorably as the leading decision maker and strategist together with the chief-of-staff on all northern military affairs.

During the ceremony that also welcomed the incoming general, Major General Uri Gordin, held at the command base in Safed, where Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi was also present, Baram made a speech in which he stated his optimistic predictions. Baram spoke of Hezbollah and how the terror organization's actions against Israel have been reactive showing that Israel's strategy is working.

Baram further expressed his confidence and said "in terms of the strategic situation, we are in a good security balance. There is no enemy capable of threatening our existence here." Many might see Baram's confidence as delusional given Iran's technology and desire to see Israel destroyed however, Israel's defense industry has made it the most protected nation in the world when it comes to ballistic and short-range missiles. Israel's air supremacy has also been proven, managing to evade the famed Russian C300 missile defense system which is in Syria where Israel operates with impunity, as well as Iran.

We welcome MG Ori Gordin into his new position as the Commanding Officer of the Northern Command.

Thank you to outgoing Commanding Officer MG Amir Baram for his service in the role over the last 3 years.

The IDF will continue to defend Israel’s northern border from any threat. pic.twitter.com/M3F3UVxrlX

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 11, 2022

Baram went on to detail the somewhat precarious state of the terrorist organization, noting that "the revolutionary radicalism of the Shia jihad has begun to raise question marks even within Hezbollah's internal-ideological support base, which is not a cohesive unit.

Baram added that "even Hezbollah’s idea of ​​’defender of Lebanon' is subject to sharp criticism, and the organization is accused of preventing the prosperity and development of the country through its actions. The fear of it has decreased, the control over the military operatives on the border line is not as tight as it was, and corruption is rapid." Despite his remarks, Chief-of-Staff Aviv Kochavi, noted that "Hezbollah has taken over large parts of Lebanon and actually determines the security policy."

Kohavi addressed the incoming commander Gordin as well, stating: "You are taking up your position in a complex period, where silence is more deceptive than ever, and the challenges are, as always, many. pic.twitter.com/4iQnNTfDrl

— Lebanese News and Updates (@LebUpdate) September 11, 2022

Videos on social media over the last few years have shown an increased public criticism of Hezbollah, with many in the economically devasted country blaming the Iranian terror proxy for much of the bad that has happened within the country. One famous video showed a village bordering Israel chasing Hezbollah operatives out during last year's conflict with Gaza dubbed 'Guardians of The Wall'. Hezbollah fighters were looking to distract Israeli defenses with missiles fired from the north when the townsfolk confronted them and told them to leave.

Brave Lebanese people are fighting Hezbollah's war criminals and preventing them from using the village as a human shield to launch missiles at Israel.
This is what the media will not show you about the conflict in the Middle East, please RT!pic.twitter.com/8IW9Jvn4Qr

— Liza Rosen (@LizaRosen0000) August 6, 2021

Regarding the criticism that the army did not launch a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah during his term, Baram said that "our job is to keep war away and not bring it closer. The operations of the various campaigns since the last wars seriously hurt the terrorist infrastructures, their armament, and their establishment on the northern border. All this, without disturbing the civilian routine in the north, and without reducing the IDF's freedom of mobility. It is good that these operations will be under the radar, and below the threshold of war."

He added that the defensive efforts to thwart terrorist attacks by the organization on the Lebanese border were intended "not only to prevent Hezbollah from achieving gains in the form of our casualties but also to discourage and weaken it."

Baram identified another necessary element for victory in such a pre-emptive war, which, according to him, is "a fighting spirit and a strong desire of Israeli society to win."

Passation de pouvoir symbolique et officielle entre le Major Général Amir Baram, et le Major Général Uri Gordin, avec le chef d’état-major israélien Aviv Kochavi. pic.twitter.com/v8qrT7NZ9w

— Chrystopher B (@ChrysBarolin) September 11, 2022

He explained that "we will need the internal legitimacy and patience of the home front in order to provide the IDF with the time required to complete the tasks and meet the goals set. We have already learned in the past, just as Nasrallah also learned, that Israeli society does not like people trying to 'press it against the wall'. Nasrallah is an experienced man who understands well the price of war."

Regarding Baram's implicit threat, the Chief-of-Staff added that "the state of Lebanon and the state of Hezbollah will bear the consequences if Israel's sovereignty is harmed and if its citizens or assets are harmed."