Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday visited the IDF Galilee Division, in the area where the IDF Operation Northern Shield is neutralizing and destroying Hezbollah terrorist tunnels. Also participating in the visit were IDF Deputy Chief-of-Staff Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, GOC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Yoel Strick and other senior officers, who briefed the Prime Minister on the forces’ operations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated: “In the past 48 hours, Israel attacked an Iranian weapons warehouse at the international airport in Damascus. This reflects our consistent policy and strong determination to prevent Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria. If necessary, we will step up these attacks.
“At the same time, the IDF has exposed a sixth tunnel – the largest of all – that crossed into Israeli territory. This brings Operation Northern Shield to a successful close. We will continue to monitor all activity by Hezbollah, and by Iran and its proxies. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of Israel.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank GOC Northern Command and all of the soldiers from all of the units, engineering, observation and others. For the exceptional work they have done here.
“This exceptional achievement, which was carried out over several weeks of neutralizing Hezbollah’s tunnels weapon, is one that no other army in the world has. No one has succeeded in operating in such a way, so quickly and so effectively. Congratulations to you. Thank you on behalf of the citizens of Israel.”
In response to a question as to whether the residents of the north can live in peace, the PM said: “I think everyone understands that a very serious threat was averted here. Hezbollah’s operational plan was to use the tunnels weapon to infiltrate many fighters, between 1,000-2,000 terrorists, into the Galilee, to seize communities here. Everyone understands how the war would look if Hezbollah battalions were in the Galilee, and with the Iranian army opposite the Golan Heights. We have prevented this – and will continue to prevent it.”
During the visit, the PM met with IDF Engineering Corps soldiers and soldiers from other units, and commended them on their actions.