Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah’s secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah that the Iranian proxy’s gradual escalation on Israel’s northern border is “playing with fire.”
Speaking during a visit on Monday to the IDF’s Desert Patrol Battalion 585, also known as the Bedouin Patrol Battalion, Netanyahu noted there have been multiple exchanges of fire between the IDF and the Lebanese terrorist organization since the start of the October 7 war with Hamas in Gaza.
“Jewish and Bedouin commanders are standing shoulder-to-shoulder. They have fought, and are now fighting, heroically. They are safeguarding our country in an exemplary manner and in full partnership,” the prime minister said.
“You are the future of us all. Our partnership is the future of us all against these savages. You are all imbued with the same goal: we are going to win. There are no breaks here. There is no half-way. This is neither an ‘operation’ nor a ’round’. We are going for total victory here,” Netanyahu said.
“In these exchanges of fire in the north, there is someone who thinks he can expand the attacks against our forces and our civilians; this is playing with fire,” he warned.
“Fire will be met by much stronger fire. They should not try us because we have shown only a little of our might. Any attack against us – we will attack those who attack us.
“We will restore security to the north and we will restore security to the south,” the prime minister pledged.
Earlier in the day, during the morning hours, two mortar shells were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel’s Gornot HaGalil area. Both shells landed in open areas, the IDF said, adding that no physical injuries were reported.
Lebanese terrorists also shelled the northern Israeli Bedouin town of Arab al-Aramashe during the morning. Both of the shells landed in open areas, the IDF said. No physical injuries were reported.
In the early afternoon, Lebanese terrorists fired anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) toward the area of Netu’a and an IDF post in Shtula in northern Israel. No injuries were reported. An IDF tank returned fire to the source of the attack.
In response to the launches over the past day, IDF fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah military sites and terrorist infrastructure in Lebanon. The targets included terror infrastructure, weapons storage compounds, and an operational command center used by Hezbollah, the IDF said.
Early Monday evening, an IDF tank struck a Lebanese terrorist cell that attempted to fire anti-tank missiles at the northern Israeli community of Shtula as well.
The IDF also struck Hezbollah positions and a terrorist who carried out launches toward Israel several hours earlier.
