IDF Tensions With Hezbollah Rise, Israeli PM: We Will Restore Security In The North

PM Netanyahu during a visit to Kiryat Shmona on the border with Lebanon on Wednesday. (Source: Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

JAKARTA - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was ready to take firm action in the northern region of his country, as tensions between Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the militant group Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon escalated.

That was conveyed by PM Netanyahu during a visit to Kiryat Shmona on the border with Lebanon, where fighting between IDF and Hezbollah has increased significantly in recent days.

"Anyone who thinks can hurt us and we're just going to sit still, has made a big mistake," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

During the visit, PM Netanyahu met with IDF troops from Brigade 769 to discuss operations against Hezbollah.

"We are ready to take a very strong action in the north. One way or another, we will restore security in the north," Prime Minister Netanyahu said.

PM Netanyahu toured the northern border. Israeli cities near the border in the region, most of which have been evacuated, are often targets for the launch of rockets and drones from the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group. The rockets sparked fires.

A massive fire broke out in northern Israel earlier this week, some of which were triggered by Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.

"The land caught fire yesterday and I'm glad you extinguished it. However, the soil was also burned in Lebanon," he told firefighters.

It is known that Iran-backed Hezbollah has been shooting each other with Israel over the past eight months, along with the role in Gaza, raising fears of the spread of conflict in the Middle East.

Israel's latest and Hezbollah conflicts have been the worst since the 2006 war, leaving tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border forced to flee.