Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon, commander of the 52nd Battalion, and three soldiers killed in southern Lebanon. Netanyahu said he has ordered a forceful response to what he called Hezbollah's blatant ceasefire violation, and reiterated that Israel will remain in the southern Lebanon security zone as long as needed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday eulogized Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon and the three other soldiers of the 52nd Battalion (401st Armored Brigade) killed in southern Lebanon, and said he has ordered the IDF to strike Hezbollah hard for violating the ceasefire.
Netanyahu's statement, issued at 13:34 Jerusalem time, comes after a series of earlier — The Zioneer reported the soldiers' deaths at 10:07, followed by President Herzog's eulogy at 10:42 and Defense Minister Katz's at 13:23. The IDF has since struck more than 80 Hezbollah targets and killed dozens of operatives, as Netanyahu confirmed in an earlier statement at 13:33.
"Israel will not tolerate attacks on our soldiers," Netanyahu said. "We will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon as long as required to protect northern communities." He did not specify the scale of the pending reprisal strikes beyond calling for a "heavy price." The security situation on the northern border remains tense, with Hezbollah's response still unconfirmed.
4 developments
- DevelopingNetanyahu: I ordered the IDF to strike 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
- StrongNetanyahu: IDF to stay in southern Lebanon as long as needed; 300 Hezbollah targets struck in two days
- DevelopingNetanyahu directs Air Force to prepare for airstrikes in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah ceasefire violation
- StrongIDF says Hezbollah ceasefire violations require ongoing southern Lebanon operations
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