Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hanegbi in the north
Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hanegbi in the northAmos Ben Gershom/GPO

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, this afternoon (Tuesday), at IDF Northern Command headquarters, held a security assessment in which they were briefed on intelligence, operational activity and the challenges in the northern sector. They discussed the threats along the borders with Lebanon and Syria and the ability of the IDF and the security forces to deal with them.

National Security Council Director Tzachi Hanegbi, IDF Deputy Chief-of-Staff Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram, GOC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Ori Gordin, Prime Minister's Military Secretary Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil and other senior officers also participated in the assessment.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said before the assessment: "I am here visiting IDF Northern Command with the Defense Minister and the commanders. The main enemy that we face is the terrorist regime in Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon. We are determined to fight Iran's attempts to develop a nuclear arsenal. We are determined to fight any attempt by Iran to entrench militarily in Syria on our northern border. We are determined to fight any attempt by Hezbollah to show aggression against us in Lebanon. Whoever needs a reminder about our red lines on this matter will receive it."

Defense Minister Gallant said: "I came with the Prime Minister to Northern Command to closely monitor the readiness of the IDF and the security services in the face of the changing security challenges. The security establishment will prevent Iran from entrenching in Syria and will sever the channels by which Iranian weaponry is transferred to Lebanon and Hezbollah. The quiet in the north is an important goal; therefore, in addition to maintaining quiet, we will take strong action against any attempt to attack Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers."

Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant met with air defense personnel and heard from them about their professional work. The Prime Minister and the Defense Minister thanked them for their dedication and their readiness to safeguard the security of the State of Israel around the clock.