Netanyahu’s open threat to Hezbollah, ‘will have to pay a heavy price’, IDF starts major operation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the four Israeli soldiers (including a commander) who were killed in the "despicable attack", vowing to exact a heavy price from Hezbollah. The Israeli military alleges that Hezbollah has violated the ceasefire; An IDF tank battalion commander and three other soldiers were killed in a suspected drone strike in southern Lebanon. In a post on Twitter, Netanyahu expressed condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. He described the attack as a "blatant violation of the ceasefire" and confirmed that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to attack the terrorist group with full force.
He wrote in the post that I express my deepest condolences to the commander of the 52nd Armored Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Dor Gedaliah Ben Simon, and the families of those three brave soldiers (whose names have not yet been released). May their blood be avenged – and I wish speedy recovery to those injured in yesterday's firing. Following Hezbollah's despicable attack, which was a flagrant violation of the ceasefire, last night I instructed the IDF to attack Hezbollah with all its might. The Prime Minister confirmed that following the incursion, the IDF successfully attacked more than 80 terrorist hideouts and killed dozens of terrorists. He said Israeli operations continued this morning with strikes on Hezbollah's headquarters in the Bekaa Valley.
He said the IDF struck more than 80 terrorist targets and killed dozens. Terrorists were killed. Subsequently, this morning the IDF attacked Hezbollah's headquarters in the Bekaa Valley. After reviewing the situation with the defense minister and the chief of the General Staff, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will not tolerate any threats to its territory or military personnel. He then said that the Israeli military will maintain its presence in the security zone of southern Lebanon as long as necessary to protect communities in northern Israel. The Prime Minister said that the IDF will take action to thwart any threat to our forces and our territory and stressed that his instructions to the forces are clear and firm.
This morning, I took stock of the situation with the Defense Minister and the Chief of the General Staff, he wrote. My instructions are clear: Israel will not tolerate attacks on our troops or our territory, and Hezbollah will pay a heavy price for these attacks. As I said clearly yesterday: Israel will remain in the security zone of southern Lebanon as long as necessary to protect the settlements in the north.
The statement came as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Friday, killing at least 16 people and injuring several others, Al Jazeera reported. Although the Iran-US agreement called for a halt to fighting between Israel and Lebanon, the attacks continued. According to Al Jazeera, the IDF also said in a statement that they carried out several strikes in southern Lebanon overnight. He said the attacks were in response to Hezbollah's "repeated ceasefire violations." The Israeli Air Force said, "The Air Force struck the infrastructure of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Bekaa Valley some time ago. The attack was carried out in response to repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which continues to advance and carry out terrorist plots against IDF forces.
