Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the Jewish state would continue to strike Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon with “force, precision and determination” as it pursues direct talks with Lebanon’s government to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah and promote peace between the two countries.
“Our message is clear: whoever acts against Israeli civilians will be struck,” Netanyahu tweeted in Hebrew. “We will continue to strike Hezbollah wherever required, until we restore full security to the residents of the north.”
U.S. and Israeli officials have stressed that Hezbollah is not included in the ceasefire agreement with Iran. The regime in Tehran has threatened to blow up the fragile truce over the issue, warning of retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Netanyahu, in his statement on Thursday, hailed the assassination of Ali Yusuf Harshi, the personal secretary of Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, whom the premier described as one of the people closest to the top terrorist.
In a separate filmed statement published by Netanyahu’s office later on Thursday, he addressed the residents of Israel’s north, praising their resilience and announcing that he had told his Cabinet to begin peace talks with Lebanon.
“Dear residents of the north, I am proud of you. You continue to stand firm. I want to tell you: There is no ceasefire in Lebanon. We continue to strike Hezbollah with force, and we will not stop until we restore your security.”
In the written post on X, Netanyahu wrote that the IDF had struck overnight “a series of terrorist infrastructures in Southern Lebanon: crossings used to transfer thousands of weapons, rockets and launchers, as well as weapons depots, launchers and Hezbollah headquarters.”
The Israeli Air Force on Wednesday launched its largest coordinated strikes against Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion” against Iran and its regional proxies on Feb. 28.
The large-scale wave of attacks targeted Hezbollah headquarters, military infrastructure and command-and-control centers in Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and Southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli army.
Netanyahu in an address on Wednesday night said Hezbollah suffered “the greatest blow since the pagers,” in reference to the Sept. 17-18, 2024, attacks in Lebanon, which wounded thousands of terrorist operatives. “We attacked 100 targets in 10 minutes, in places Hezbollah was certain were immune,” he stated.
