After the IDF Spokesperson’s unit summarized the latest round of violence between Israel and the Islamist organizations of the Palestinian enclave, in which approximately 100 rockets and mortars were fired toward the Jewish state, 40 of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-rocket systems while the rest fell in open territory and inside communities; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s resolve to defend itself by all means necessary. During a memorial ceremony for victims of the 1948 “Altalena Affair,” Netanyahu threatened the Islamist organizations in Gaza, that if they continue to test Israel, they will pay dearly. He said, ; “Since yesterday the IDF has strongly retaliated against the firing from the Gaza Strip and has hit dozens of terrorist targets in the severest blow we have landed on them in years. The Hamas regime, Islamic Jihad and the other terrorist organizations, inspired by Iran, that are responsible for the escalation. I will not detail our plans because I do not want the enemy to know what to expect. But one thing is clear: When they test us, they pay immediately. And if they continue testing us, they will pay dearly,” the Israeli leader said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also took the opportunity to once again point to his trip next week to Europe, during which he is scheduled to separately meet with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain. He noted that he will present the European powers “the latest strategic developments in our region,” including Iran’s entrenchment in Syria, which Netanyahu emphasized, “a reality Israel will continue to act against.”