Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an assessment Wednesday at the ISA (Shin Bet), together with ISA Director Ronen Bar, his deputy, and senior ISA regional commanders.
The Prime Minister visited the ISA special operations center. He was also briefed on the achievements of the ISA and the IDF to date in the war, on the significant intelligence effort to return the hostages, and on the continued ground activity in the Gaza Strip.
"I want to express deep appreciation for the sacrifice, for the fallen, and for the work that you are doing. I see this on a daily basis. I read this on a daily basis. I know that the combination of your work and that of the IDF, and sometimes that of the Mossad as well, gives us the possibility of advancing toward achieving the goals of the war," Netanyahu stated during the visit.
"This war is going to be difficult, but I discern, you must certainly see this too in the material, the beginning of their disintegrating. I see there the beginning of the understanding that we are determined to continue to the end and eliminate this body," he declared.
"I do not think that there is an alternative. I know that you also think this way. At the same time, we need to keep at it in the other sectors. This is part of Iran's axis, and we will need to deal with Iran and, above all, prevent it from arming itself with nuclear weapons. But at the moment, this is 'there,' and first of all, we are 'here'. We need to complete this mission," the Prime Minister added.
"The crushing victory over Hamas will provide many advantages, as well as considerable deterrent power and persuasive power – also regarding the rest of the world sitting up in the stands. They are all sitting there, wanting to see who will win. It's that simple. You could give arguments one way or the other, and we need to do this, but in the end, they want to see who will win us or them. You are a main part of the victory. I believe in it, and I believe in you. I want to thank you," Netanyahu concluded.
ISA Director Bar stated: "In Gaza, the combination of technology and boots on the ground is giving us an intelligence superiority that will allow us to achieve two missions: To facilitate the conditions for returning the hostages and demolishing Hamas."
He added: "In Judea and Samaria, we are fully active in the refugee camps, but beyond all this, the hand that is shaking the Middle East and pulling the strings not just with the Houthis but also in Lebanon is an Iranian hand. We encounter it in the planning of attacks overseas, in the attempt to set Judea and Samaria on fire, in the cyber field, and they are even trying to get past the counter-terrorism wall in Israel."