Netanyahu: Jenin operation aims at targeting those who seek to obliterate Israel

July 4th is a day to remember that “freedom is precious and it’s never free – it involves firm and decisive efforts against those who seek to destroy it and pursue terror.”

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday stressed that the objective of the ongoing IDF operation in Jenin is to thwart terrorists intent on obliterating Israel.

“In recent months, Jenin has become a safe haven for terrorism, and from that haven came vicious attacks against Israeli men, women and children,” Netanyahu said during a speech at the US Embassy’s Fourth of July Party. “Last night, Israeli soldiers tried to reach undetected the most legitimate target on the planet – people who would annihilate our country.”

“Israeli soldiers are doing everything to avoid civilian casualties as Israel does everything to exercise its right to self-defense,” he added.

July 4th is a day to remember that “freedom is precious and it’s never free. Often, it involves firm and decisive efforts against those who seek to destroy it and pursue terror,” he went on, before recalling events of July 4, 1976, when his brother Yoni Netanyahu lost his life in the course of saving Israelis from a plane hijacked to Entebbe. The current operation was a continuation of such efforts against terror, the prime minister said.

Simultaneously, IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Richard Hecht maintained that Jenin has become a hotbed of terrorism and that Israel had been waiting for more than two years to initiate a wide-ranging operation to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure there, with the hope that the Palestinian Authority would do it first. It never did. The city is rife with weapons, command centers, IEDs, and ammunition.

“We launched a surprise assault – they anticipated a land attack, but we struck from the air. Our elite forces have been methodically moving from one target to another within the [refugee] camp,” Hecht told Israel National News. IDF operations specifically target armed gunmen who pose a threat to Israeli lives, he said, adding that Jenin was “infested with weapons, command centers, IEDs, munitions.”

“We’re trying to break the mindset of the camp as a safe haven for terrorists,” he told the outlet.

As the operation continues, Hecht emphasized the need for the international media to maintain journalistic standards and report the IDF perspective accurately and responsibly. He maintained that the IDF remains dedicated to conveying the truth.

“We say outright ‘Yes, something happened, we had to go in, it was a battle zone, and some people who were uninvolved got killed. People were firing at our soldiers, and mistakes happen. We don’t have to justify ourselves, but we have to say the truth,” he said.

Netanyahu, affirming Hecht’s statements, vowed that the operation “will continue as long as it takes to complete the mission.”