Netanyahu warns that Israel “is prepared for very powerful action” on the border with Lebanon

MADRID, (EUROPA PRESS) – The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned this Wednesday that the Israeli Army “is prepared for a very powerful action” on the border with Lebanon, within the framework of more than seven months of clashes with the Shiite militia party Hezbollah following the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

“We are prepared for a very powerful action in the north,” Netanyahu said in a brief message on his account on the social network target of dozens of projectile and drone attacks by Hezbollah as part of the fighting in the area.

In it, the Israeli prime minister stated that “anyone who thinks that they can cause us harm and that we will sit idly by is making a serious mistake,” in reference to the large fires recorded this week in the north of the country due to the attacks. perpetrated by the Lebanese group.

“The ground burned yesterday and I’m glad they put it out,” he told the firefighters, before adding that “the ground also burned in Lebanon.” The Prime Minister of Israel has also met with soldiers from the 769th Brigade to discuss operations against Hezbollah, as reported by the Israeli newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.

The Israeli Army confirmed early in the day through a brief statement published on its website that during the last few hours it has bombed two alleged Hezbollah “shuttles” in Aita al Chaab and Zabkin, as well as three “military buildings” on Al Adeisa, Bleida and Markaba, with no information on victims for now.

Subsequently, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the downing of two “suspicious aerial targets” launched from Lebanon against Israeli territory. He thus highlighted that “after alerts about the infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the north of the country, air defense systems successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target in the Metula area after its entry from Lebanon.”

“Shortly afterwards, another alert was activated in the north of the country and a suspicious air target that entered the country from Lebanon was intercepted. The incident has come to an end,” he said, while noting that activated the alerts for projectiles and missiles “due to fear of falling fragments of the interceptor” and reported that “there are no victims or damage.”

For its part, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the launch of artillery shells and missiles against “enemy forces” in northern Israel, as part of its response “in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza,” according to the Lebanese television network. , linked to the group.

INCREASE IN TENSIONS

Netanyahu’s visit comes a day after Israel’s Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, traveled to Kiryat Shmona, from where he called for “destroying” Hezbollah’s “strongholds” and defended “a war” with Lebanon. . “It cannot be that our land burns and there is peace in Lebanon. We have to burn and destroy all Hezbollah strongholds. War,” he said.

The Israeli Army and Hezbollah – backed by Iran and which has significant political weight in Lebanon – have been engaged in a series of clashes since October 8, a day after the attacks carried out by Hamas, which left nearly 1,200 dead. dead and about 240 kidnapped, according to the balance sheets provided by the Israeli authorities.

The fighting has left around 400 dead in Lebanon, as reported this Wednesday by the Lebanese Ministry of Health, a report published through its account on the social network Facebook and which does not differentiate between members of Hezbollah and civilians. He also states that another 1,200 people have been injured.

On the other hand, the military offensive launched by Israel against the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attacks has left more than 36,500 Palestinians dead and nearly 83,000 injured to date, according to data published by the authorities of the enclave, controlled by the Islamist group. . Added to them are nearly 520 Palestinians killed at the hands of security forces and in attacks by settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.