Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz warned Thursday that Israel will respond forcefully to any further balloons or kites launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel, declaring that the deadline previously given over the attacks has now expired.
Katz issued the warning during a security assessment attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the head of the IDF Operations Directorate, the commander of the Home Front Command, and additional senior defense officials.
“The ultimatum we issued following the launching of balloons and kites from the Gaza Strip toward communities in the Negev has expired,” Katz said. He said that from this point forward, Israel will classify every such launch as “an act of terrorism in every respect.”
The defense minister said Israel’s response will extend beyond those directly carrying out the launches and will target the people and infrastructure involved in facilitating the attacks.
“From now on, every launch will be met with a powerful response against those responsible, the organizers and the perpetrators, as well as against the launch sites and the infrastructure they use,” he said.
Katz said that under directives from Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and instructions he has issued to the military, the IDF has been authorized to employ whatever measures are required to eliminate locations being used to launch the balloons and kites.
Those measures, he said, could include ordering civilians to leave a neighborhood or other area being used as a base for the launches before Israeli forces take action there.
“The IDF will use all necessary means, including evacuating the population from an area or neighborhood from which launches are carried out, in order to deal with the centers of terrorism,” the Defense Minister said.
Katz stressed that Israel has no intention of returning to the security reality that existed along the Gaza border before the October 7 attacks, when incendiary balloons, kites and other forms of harassment were repeatedly directed at southern Israeli communities.
“We will not allow Hamas or any other element to return to the methods of harassment and threats against the communities of the south as occurred before October 7, and anyone who does so will pay a heavy price.”
{Matzav.com}
