Ya'alon: Our enemies know we'll strike them hard if they try to attack
Defense minister: If enemies try to harm us, we can hit back from the air, sea, or surface
By YAAKOV LAPPINUpdated: JANUARY 1, 2016 04:27Former defense minister Moshe Yaalon(photo credit: REUTERS)
Amid heightened tensions with Hezbollah following the assassination of Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon issued a warning on Thursday to Israel’s enemies.They “know that if they just try to harm us, we will strike them powerfully, and we will do so in any way we find appropriate,” he said. “From the air, sea or land.”The defense minister was speaking at Hatzerim Air Base, near Beersheba, during a ceremony to mark the flight course completion of the latest cadets.Israel has advanced air capabilities to send its aircraft anywhere, and hit “those who constantly seek our harm, and to disrupt the lives of Israeli residents, whether through terrorism or through smuggling advanced weapons,” Ya’alon said.On Monday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot said the military stands ready to face “any challenge” from the North, and the country’s enemies will pay a dear price if they seek to undermine its security.He spoke a day after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah threatened for the second time in recent days to retaliate against the killing of Kuntar.“Beyond our borders too, facing the threats we hear to the North, we stand ready for any challenge, and as we have proven in the past, we know how to find and hit all who seek our harm,” Eisenkot said.The chief of staff warned that “our enemies know that if they try to undermine the security of Israel, they will face severe consequences.”On December 19, Kuntar was killed in a missile strike on his operations center in the suburbs of southern Damascus.Earlier this week, Nasrallah said via video message, “The Israelis are hiding like rats along the border. They are worried and they should be worried along the border and inside Israel. Their threats will not benefit them. The retaliation to Samir’s assassination will inevitably come.”