From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 4, 2018
Liberman: Israel will settle score with Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman says Israel still has scores to settle with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, after the Gaza-based terror groups fired over 100 rockets and mortars at Israeli territory last week.
Israel struck dozens of Hamas targets in the Strip in response to the fire. An unofficial ceasefire has largely held since Wednesday, although a number of projectiles were fired toward Israel on Saturday evening and early Sunday.
“I just want to stress that we’ll act in accordance with Israel’s interest, at a time that is convenient for us,” says Liberman at a faction meeting of his Yisrael Beytenu party.
“In any case I don’t let scores go unsettled and we’ll settle the score with Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorists operating against us from the territory of the Gaza Strip,” he adds.
Addressing the ongoing clashes at the border, Liberman says Israel won’t tolerate the flying of flaming kites toward Israel, rioting along the security fence or attempts to breach the border.
He says 600 flaming kites have been flown toward Israel since the start of the violent “March of Return” protests in late March. He says 400 were intercepted and 200 landed in Israeli territory, sparking 198 fires and burning 9,000 dunams of farmland and forests.
Turning to the northern border, Liberman says Israel won’t tolerate the presence of Iranian and Hezbollah forces in Syria.
“Our position is very clear: We want a clear and explicit arrangement that neither the Iranians or Hezbollah are present on Syrian soil, and the rest is really not our business,” he says.
The Times of Israel Community.