Threats from Iran and Hezbollah to attack Israeli targets are "stronger than ever," IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Hagari told reporters Thursday evening. Hagari's statement comes at the end of several stormy days which saw the assassinations of the head of the Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and senior Hezbollah official Fuad Shukr in southern Lebanon, and the verification of the death of the head of the military wing of Hamas, Muhammad Deif .
Since the beginning of the war. we have faced various threats from far and near,” he said. "The resilience and patience that you, the public, have demonstrated over the past months, is what allows the IDF forces to continue to focus on the operational goals on the various fronts."
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Ismail Haniyeh and the damage to thebuilding where he was targeted and killed; Israel fears revenge
(Photo: Mohamed Azakir/File Photo/Reuters )
“We have proven recently that the State of Israel knows how to deal with threats in defense, and to respond with a mighty attack,” Hagari said.
He added that the IDF conducts continuous assessments of the situation, examining a variety of scenarios and the possible responses. There is currently no changes or new instructions to civilian guidelines issued by the Home Front Command, he said.
“We have very good defense systems, and we have international allies that bolstered their forces in the area to aid us against these threats,” Hagari added.
Still, he said, Israel's defenses are "not hermetically sealed," adding: "Therefore, I ask you to be vigalent and continue to follow the instructions of the Home Front Command.”
“The IDF is on high alert, both in defense and in attack. IDF troops are deployed in the air, at sea, and on the ground, and are ready for any scenario, and especially with plans to carry out attacks in the immediate time-frame.”
He also addressed the hostages, as Israelis mark the 300th day since the start of the war and since the hostages were taken captive.
"Even tonight, we have before our eyes 115 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. I say to the families of the hostages: 300 days have been an endless day since October 7 of suffering hardship and uncertainty that no one can understand. Our supreme mission - to return your loved ones - guides us in every step."
Hagari did not comment on the assassination of Haniyeh, but emphasized, in the wake of a New York Times report that the assassination was carried out with a bomb placed in the guesthouse weeks ahead of time and not a missile, that: “We struck on Tuesday night in Lebanon and killed Fuad Shukr in an accurate aerial strike. I want to emphasize, there was no other aerial strike, not a missile and not an Israeli drone, in the entire Middle East that night, and I won’t comment further.”
He added that: "Iran manages a terrorist infrastructure for the transfer of Iranian explosive devices to Israeli territory for the purposes of attacks. We will continue to act against Iranian terrorism with determination."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening held an in-depth assessment of the activities of the Home Front Command since the outbreak of the war, and said that "Israel is in a state of very high readiness for any scenario – on both defense and offense. We will exact a very high price for any act of aggression against us from any quarter whatsoever."
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu assessed the situation at the Home Front Command headquarters
(Photo: Ma'ayan Tuaf/GPO)
At the same time, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah spoke for the first time since Shukr's assassination, and once again denied the rocket attack on Majdal Shams that left 12 children and teens dead, during the funeral for Shukr.
"If there was a mistake on our part - we had the courage to admit it, but we have nothing to do with what happened,' Nasrallah claimed. "Israel's response to attacking a civilian building with families and children was aggression, not elimination. This is an attack on a building and not on a military base, the attack killed civilians."
He said that unnamed countries had asked Hezbollah not to retaliate, but he said the group was exploring a "real, studied" response. He added that the conflict with Israel has entered a new phase and is open on all fronts.
Meanwhile Iran's Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri, continues a series of talks over the last two days, and spoke by phone with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres. "We will not give up our right to respond to the murder of Haniyeh," said the Iranian minister. "We condemn the attempts of the U.S. and some European countries to prevent the Security Council from condemning Israel's crime."