The exchanges of fire that took place between the israel Defence Forces and Lebanon-based Hezbollah marked the most serious confrontation between the parties since 2006, albeit with no casualties having been reported so far.
Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message that israel had acted with “determination and responsibility” following artillery and air strikes against several targets in southern Lebanon on Sunday.
“We kept our citizens safe and maintained the peace of our soldiers”, said Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.
“The man in the bunker in Beirut knows exactly why he is in the bunker”, he said, apparently hinting at Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “We will continue to do everything necessary to keep Israel safe – at sea, land and air – and we will continue to work against the threat of [Hezbollah's] precision missiles”.
Netanyahu has previously taken to Twitter to argue, in Hebrew, that the military is “prepared for any scenario” in accordance with developments on the ground following Sunday's incident.
At the same time, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin wrote on his Twitter page that “all those who seek to harm us should know that we are ready and willing to defend Israel's citizens wherever they are, without hesitation”, adding that Israel was “prepared”.
The exchange of fire between the Israeli military and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah took place on Sunday, 1 September, with the latter firing…
