After preemptive strikes on Hezbollah, PM vows: ‘Whoever harms us — we harm them’

Israel destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets this morning, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the emergency national security cabinet meeting this morning at the Kirya IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.

“This morning we detected Hezbollah’s preparations to attack Israel,” he says. “In consultation with the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff, we instructed the IDF to act proactively to remove the threat.”

“The IDF has since been working intensively to thwart the threats,” he continues. “It destroyed thousands of rockets aimed at the north of the country; it’s also thwarting many other threats and is operating with great power — both in defense and on the attack.”

Netanyahu asks the public to follow instructions from the Home Front Command.

“We are determined to do everything to protect our country, return the residents of the north safely to their homes,” he says, “and continue to follow a simple rule: Whoever harms us — we harm them.”