Israel's Northern Command said that the military's major objectives in Lebanon had been achieved, with weapons along the border destroyed or removed and infrastructure dismantled in key sectors, JPost and Ynet reported Oct. 29. As a result, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said the government could begin diplomatic negotiations to end the fighting in the north. The IDF cautioned that certain sectors still needed to be cleared, but with "major" goals achieved, a diplomatic resolution was more viable.