Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Friday) shared in the grief of the families of Lt. Col. Dor Gedalya Ben Shimchon Z”L and the three other fighters who fell in battle. In his statement, Netanyahu emphasized that Hezbollah’s attack constitutes a “blatant violation of the ceasefire,” adding that he had instructed the IDF to fight back with great force. “Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers or our territory.”
Netanyahu summarized the IDF’s activity since the incident: Over 80 terror targets were attacked and dozens of terrorists were eliminated, and this morning the attacks were expanded towards Hezbollah headquarters in the Bekaa. After a situation assessment with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff, the Prime Minister made it clear that the directive to the operational echelon is clear: to exact a very heavy price from the organization for any harm to IDF soldiers.
He said that Israel will continue to hold the security strip in southern Lebanon as long as it is needed to protect the northern communities. The goal, as he defined it, remains the complete elimination of any threat to our forces and the security of Israeli citizens.
Shortly before that, Defense Minister Katz issued a tweet on his X account in which he declared that the IDF will continue to hold the security strip in Lebanon, from the coast to the heights of Beaufort. The goal, he said, is clear: protecting the northern settlements, thwarting targeted threats, and destroying terrorist infrastructure – above and below ground.
As a reminder, the IDF yesterday published the map of the security zone in southern Lebanon, where our forces are operating as part of the operational activity. According to the IDF, the forces are deployed in the security zone that extends up to approximately 10 kilometers inside Lebanese territory.
At the same time, the IDF called on the Lebanese army and the country’s residents to avoid reaching the security area where the forces are operating. The army noted that our forces have established themselves in their area of operation and continue to work to eliminate threats and improve protection for the residents of the north.