President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin today, Sunday 16 December / 8 Tevet visited the area of Operation Northern Shield in the north of the country today, as part of which a fourth tunnel was discovered today. The president was escorted by GOC Northern Command Maj-Gen Yoel Strick and the commander of the Galil Division, Brig-Gen Rafi Milo, who briefed him on the range of operations in the sector and the challenges they include. Following the briefings, the president continued to a meeting with soldiers serving in the area, where he thanked them for their service, on behalf of all Israelis.
“Because of you, the citizens of Israel and those of the north in particular, can be calm and confident,” said the president. “I came here to thank you and to support you on behalf of all Israelis. I congratulate the Chief of Staff and all of you – combat troops, combat support and technology units – who are working here day and night to negate this threat and to ensure that the residents of the north can sleep in peace.”
Our technological capabilities, together the quality of our intelligence and our excellent men and women, have produced an outstanding breakthrough by any measure. As on every visit in the field, I saw again today that the entire IDF is ready and willing to respond."
The president continued and said, “Hezbollah’s offensive tunnels into Israeli territory are a clear violation of Israeli sovereignty. Hezbollah, which pretends to be the ‘shield of Lebanon’ will, in the end, lead to its destruction. We see the Lebanese government as responsible for everything that happens in the country and we warn Hizballah not to subordinate Lebanon to Iran’s agenda, or to use Lebanon as a base for attacking Israel.”
President Rivlin concluded by saying “the international community must understand that Israel will do what is necessary to defend itself, and that Israel demands international involvement in enforcing United Nations Security Council resolutions. Our technological capabilities, the quality of our intelligence and the excellent men and women have produced an outstanding breakthrough by any measure. There is no other army in the world that is able to achieve such results. The entire IDF is ready and willing to respond, and the current operation proves the importance of such readiness for any scenario we may face.”