"We have an obligation to respond to Iran - and we will," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded message broadcasted on Israeli media channels on Saturday night.
נתניהו: "אף שעדיין לא הסרנו את האיום, שינינו את מאזן המלחמה. יש לנו את החובה והזכות להגיב על המתקפה האיראנית, וכך נעשה"(צילום: יוסי כהן, לע"מ)@SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/0Vh0p5RIcl
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 5, 2024
The statement came as the world awaits an Israeli response to Iran's missile barrage on Tuesday.
"No country in the world would have accepted such an attack, and neither will Israel," he added.
Netanyahu began his statement by recounting Israel's progress in the war over the last month. "About a month ago, towards the end of the destruction of the Hamas battalions in Gaza - we began to fulfill the promise I gave to the residents of the north."
"We eliminated Nasrallah and the top echelon of Hezbollah. We eliminated the commanders of the Radwan force who planned to invade the Galilee and carry out a greater and more terrible massacre of our citizens than the one on October 7," he added.
"Twice already, Iran has fired, and we have intercepted hundreds of missiles from the largest ballistic missile attack in history. No country in the world would have accepted such an attack, and neither will Israel, and we will respond to these attacks," he concluded.
IDF addresses response to Iran
Netanyahu's comments came roughly half an hour after Chief IDF Spokesperson R.-Adm. Daniel Hagari also made a statement to the press to update the IDF's progress over the long holiday and Shabbat.
Hagari also addressed the IDF's response to Iran, saying, "The IDF will respond to Iran in the time and manner that it sees fit, and the public security guidelines will be updated when it happens.