Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel will exact a heavy price from Hezbollah and has instructed the IDF to strike the organization with immense force, amid a wave of Israeli attacks in Lebanon, according to his statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday instructed the IDF to strike Hezbollah with 'immense force' and said Israel will exact a heavy price from the organization, according to his statement reported by the source Rak Neto. The directive comes as the latest escalation in a day of back-to-back developments: at 13:35 Jerusalem, the Desk reported Netanyahu eulogizing a fallen battalion commander and vowing a forceful response; at 13:37, he stated Israel 'will not tolerate attacks on its soldiers or territory' after a situational assessment.
The thread earlier reported that by 09:20 Jerusalem the IDF had struck over 80 Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa and Nabatieh, killing dozens of operatives, after four Israeli soldiers — including 52nd Battalion commander Lt. Col. Dor Gedalia Ben Simhon — were killed in a Hezbollah ambush. Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed at 09:20 that the strikes were a response to that attack and warned that any ceasefire violation would be met with force. Netanyahu's subsequent statements at 13:35 and 13:37 sharpened the political message, but the current statement at 14:10 explicitly orders 'immense force' without specifying new target authorization.
As The Zioneer reported on Tue Jun 16 at 17:15 Jerusalem, Netanyahu told President Trump that the strikes in southern Lebanon had caused only 'light casualties' and that he expected no Hezbollah retaliation. The same background article recorded Trump's criticism of Israel's Lebanon campaign as a 'mini-war' and his suggestion that Syria should handle Hezbollah.
It remains unconfirmed whether the directive expands the scope of authorized targets beyond those already struck, and Hezbollah's response to the day's strikes has not yet been reported.
14 developments
- StrongNetanyahu, Katz define Hezbollah attacks on IDF troops in southern Lebanon as ceasefire violations, ordering massive strikes
- DevelopingColumnist calls for Israel to strike Hezbollah with maximum force
- StrongNetanyahu confirms IDF strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh
- DevelopingNetanyahu vows response to Hezbollah rocket fire but drops Beirut strike pledge
Source and signal
- Internal intake