Netanyahu, late for announcement, lights candles with troops

The media is waiting with bated breath for Netanyahu to deliver his statement on the next Mossad chief pick, now over half-an-hour late, but in the meantime, his office releases a statement from his appearance lighting the second night of Hanukkah candles with combat troops from the elite Duvdevan unit, which operates deep in Palestinian territory.

Netanyahu told the troops that the threat of terror isn’t going away, but praises them for helping fight it, according to the statement.

Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and Moshe Ya’alon, left, lighting candles with troops on December 7, 2015. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

“You are at the forefront of our current wave [of terror]. Your ability to enter villages, towns, homes, is the most important thing for the security of Israel,” he says. “Though they are many, most are not suicide attackers. The circle of suicide attackers is limited, but the circle of attackers is much larger, and the ability to get to reach, grab, collect, take, if necessary, of course prevent or kill — that ability is cardinal to our defense.”