Netanyahu to Lebanese civilians; ‘Free yourselves from Hezbollah’s grip; free yourselves from Nasrallah’s grip, for your own benefit.’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
On Monday, when Israel made 1,600 strikes in Lebanon against terror targets, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate sensitive areas and declared, “We will continue to strike Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu’s remarks came Tuesday after a security briefing with the head of Military Intelligence, Major General Shlomi Binder, and from the commander of the SIGINT force Unit 8200, Brigadier General Yossi Sari’el.
Netanyahu began by praising the military’s operations against Hezbollah and said, “I must say that I am deeply impressed by the work that has been done, and I am no less impressed by the work that will be done. We will continue to strike Hezbollah.”
Emphasizing a statement, Netanyahu made on Monday to Lebanese civilians; the premier said, “Our war is not with you; our war is with Hezbollah. Nasrallah is leading you to the brink of the abyss.”
He once again warned civilians to evacuate crucial areas and to leave their homes if they are hiding weapons because Israel’s military will not hesitate to strike if ammunition, military supplies, or terrorists are embedded in civilian homes.
“I told you yesterday to evacuate the homes where he has placed a missile in your living room and a rocket in your garage. Whoever has a missile in their living room and a rocket in their garage will not have a home,” he said.
He urged Lebanese civilians to break free from Hezbollah; ‘”Free yourselves from Hezbollah’s grip; free yourselves from Nasrallah’s grip, for your own benefit.”
Although some world leaders are calling for “restraint” as Israel defends itself against Hezbollah’s escalation of the conflict on Sunday and firing hundreds of rockets deep into Israel, Netanyahu defended Israel’s right to make preemptive strikes against clear terror targets.
“For those who still do not understand, I want to clarify Israel’s policy – we do not wait for the threat; we preempt it. Anywhere, in any arena, at any time. We eliminate senior officials, eliminate terrorists, eliminate missiles – and we are far from finished.”