After the Israeli government approved a 13 billion-shekel ($4.5 billion) plan to strengthen communities in northern Israel late on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that a solution to the threat posed by Hezbollah’s explosive drones will be implemented in the near future.
Following a special Cabinet meeting, Netanyahu hinted at a breakthrough in efforts to counter the Lebanese terrorist group’s drone attacks, which have emerged as one of the most persistent threats along the northern border.
“We will also solve the drone problem—the best minds in the people of Israel, in the State of Israel, and also outside the State of Israel, are currently mobilized for this national project,” he said. “We will solve this problem. We will restore both security and prosperity to the north,” he said.
Moshe Davidovich, head of the Mateh Asher Regional Council and chairman of the Confrontation Line Forum, told Israel’s Channel 12 News that Netanyahu had informed him that a solution to Hezbollah drones had already been found and would be revealed soon.
According to Davidovich, he spoke with the prime minister shortly after the Cabinet meeting, and raised concerns about residents’ security.
“I said to him, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, everything is good and nice, but there are two issues that are still unresolved, perhaps the most important ones. One is the security of the residents. People here still don’t trust, don’t feel secure and aren’t sleeping,’” Davidovich told Channel 12.
To which Netanyahu replied according to the report: “The issue of the drones—I already have a solution. The issue has been solved. In the coming days everyone will know.”
When Davidovich asked for details, Netanyahu declined to elaborate, saying the matter was classified.
In a statement issued by the Government Press Office, Netanyahu detailed the government’s plan to boost northern communities, which includes investments in community development, infrastructure, housing and fortification measures for residents living near the border.
“What the government approved today are dramatic decisions to strengthen the north,” Netanyahu said. “We are talking about the area from the Lebanese border line, nine kilometers south. This is an area that is crying out for development.”
He added, “Fortification is an addition to security; it is not the sole component of security, nor is it the foundation of security, but it is an addition to security in the major struggle we are waging against Hezbollah, and we will succeed in it.”
The prime minister said the government has now allocated approximately 20 billion shekels ($6.9 billion) to the north.
“A little over 13 billion shekels today, in addition to the 7 billion shekels we have already given, meaning 20 billion shekels are going to the communities of the north, and rightfully so,” he said.
Netanyahu compared the government’s plans for the north to its previous campaign in southern Israel, following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
“When I say that people will come to the north, I said that about the south as well, and people said: ‘Well, those are just words,’” he said. “Today, the south, which was security-challenged, has tremendous demand, tremendous growth and tremendous prosperity, and that is exactly what will happen here as well.”
