Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday he ordered the IDF to strike Hezbollah with force after the killing of four soldiers in southern Lebanon, including the 52nd Battalion commander. He said the military hit over 80 terror targets and killed dozens of operatives, with additional strikes on Hezbollah command posts in the Bekaa this morning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement at 14:21 Jerusalem time on Friday, eulogizing the fallen commander of the 52nd Battalion (401st Armored Brigade), Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, and three soldiers whose names have not yet been released. Netanyahu said the soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire in southern Lebanon yesterday, which he described as a "blatant ceasefire violation" by Hezbollah.
The Prime Minister said he ordered the IDF to strike hard following the attack, and that the military has carried out over 80 strikes on terror targets, killing dozens of operatives. Additional strikes targeted Hezbollah command posts in the Bekaa Valley this morning. Netanyahu said he held a situational assessment with Defense Minister Israel Katz and the Chief of Staff.
Netanyahu reiterated that Israel will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone as long as necessary to protect northern communities. The statement follows a series of earlier statements from Defense Minister Katz and President Herzog eulogizing the fallen soldiers and detailing the IDF response, as The Zioneer reported throughout the day.
4 developments
- DevelopingIDF says it struck 70+ Hezbollah sites, eliminated seven operatives from underground route
- StrongDefense Minister Katz eulogizes fallen 52nd Battalion commander and three soldiers in Lebanon
- StrongNetanyahu confirms IDF strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh
- StrongIDF strikes two Hezbollah headquarters in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley
Source and signal
- Internal intake