IDF chief: We’ll face threat of terrorism for many years

Israel will continue to face the threat of terrorism for many years, IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot said Wednesday.

Speaking at an event marking 40 years since Operation Entebbe — in which Israel staged a now-legendary rescue mission to free Israelis taken hostage by Palestinian terrorists — Eisenkot said the operation was “a milestone in the fight against terror.”

He praised the combination of “leadership and capabilities” that enabled he operation to succeed.

“Since then we have dealt with different forms of terror but with the same objective, to sow fear,” he said.

“Effective action is based on intelligence-gathering and operational capabilities, and today we must also deal with the need to try and separate terrorists from the [civilian] population.”

Eisenkot then added that terrorism was “a spreading phenomenon” and noted that “we will continue to grapple with terror for many years to come.”