Israel: Gantz says Lebanon will ‘bear consequences’ of rocket barrage
'We are not only the strongest in the region, but also the most ready. We know how to respond to terror from Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank'
Former Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz gave a statement on Thursday on the country’s security situation following a barrage of rockets launched from Lebanon, saying Israel’s northern neighbor will “bear the consequences.”
Gantz, head of the National Unity party chief and a leader of Israel’s opposition movement, gave his full support to the government responding to the attack, which the Israeli army blamed on the Gaza-based Hamas terror group.
“We are not only the strongest in the region, but also the most ready,” he said. “We know how to respond to terror from Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank.”
The day prior, rocket sirens sounded in Israeli territory bordering the Gaza Strip as several anti-aircraft missiles were fired from the Palestinian enclave. Meanwhile, violence escalated in Jerusalem when Israeli forces clashed with Palestinian worshippers at the Temple Mount.
“Lebanon is responsible for the rocket fire, and will bear the consequences,” Gantz continued. “We have a bank of targets. We have carried out wide-ranging exercises. The [army] is trained and ready, we are ready.”
“The government has damaged our resilience, but in times of trouble, we know how to unite,” Gantz concluded, referring to recent unrest in the Jewish state over the government’s proposed controversial judicial overhaul.
"Our enemies are wrong in their assessment of the situation. The opposition will provide backing for any responsible and determined action that will restore peace and strengthen deterrence. We will not give up the fight for democracy, and we will not give up on security. This and that."