From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 11, 2024
At F-15 base, Netanyahu says country ready for attacks from other fronts, will hit anyone who harms Israel
Visiting an F-15 base, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues an apparent threat to Iran that Israel will strike if attacked.
“We are in challenging times. We are in the midst of a war in Gaza that is continuing with full force. In addition, we are continuing with ceaseless efforts to return our hostages, but we are also preparing for challenges from other fronts,” Netanyahu tells pilots at an F-15 base.
Israel’s F-15 fleet is the Air Force’s primary weapon for long-range strikes.
“We set a simple principle: Anyone who hits us, we hit them,” Netanyahu says in apparent reference to Iranian threats to carry out strikes against Israel. “We are ready to fulfill our responsibilities to Israel’s security, in defense and attack.”
“I, and the whole of Israel, trust you,” he says to the pilots, wishing them “much success.”
The warning comes amid preparation for an Iranian strike in response to the alleged Israeli strike on April 1 that hit an Iranian consulate building in Damascus that killed two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers.
Yesterday, Bloomberg reported Iran could launch strikes involving high-precision missiles and drones targeting military and government sites in Israel after Iran reiterated its vow to retaliate.
