Any attempt by Israel’s adversaries to attack it will be met with a severe response, including preemptive attack, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned on Sunday.
Speaking at a swearing-in ceremony for the new commander of the IDF Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, Kochavi said, “The challenges facing the IDF and the range of its activity are extraordinary. We are operating against terror every day.”
He added, “The Hezbollah terrorist army has taken Lebanon hostage, which has taken a toll on the country’s security and economic state. The [United Nations Security Council] Resolution 1701 is not being applied. Southern Lebanon as well as Beirut and the are filled with missiles, rockets, anti-tank posts and command and control centers.”
Kochavi warned that Lebanon and the Hezbollah terrorist army will bear the consequences if the civilians, sovereignty or the assets of the State of Israel come under attack.
“The IDF does not and will not stand aside and allow attempts to harm the State of Israel, in any arena. Any such attempt will be met with a severe response or a preemptive effort,” he stated.
Gordin is replacing Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, who has been head of Northern Command for the past three and a half years.
An intelligence report produced by the IDF’s Northern command has assessed that there is a reasonable risk of an armed clash between Israel and Hezbollah in the near future, Israeli media reported on Saturday.
