Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue its war until all of its goals are achieved. He called it impossible to achieve these goals without continuing the ground incursion.
While addressing a press conference in Tel Aviv on Saturday, Netanyahu said, “We will continue the war until we achieve all of its goals and it is impossible to achieve these goals without continuing the ground incursion. The ground incursion was essential in order to bring about the results up to now, and it is necessary to bring about future results.”
Netanyahu emphasised that Israel is in the midst of a “difficult and bitter war.”
He asserted that Israel would be victorious in the war. He said that Israel is taking continuous action against Hezbollah, according to Israel Prime Minister’s Office.
He said, “Citizens of Israel, we are in the midst of a difficult and bitter war but there is no war more just. It is a war for our home. All of us are united behind the justice of our cause and all of us give full backing to our soldiers. A difficult war is yet before us, but in the end, we will be victorious. Together we will fight – and with G-d’s help, together we will win.”
Speaking about Israel’s action against Hezbollah, Netanyahu said, “In the north as well, we are taking continuous action against Hezbollah’s efforts to act against us. We are thwarting terrorist cells, pushing the enemy away from our border and destroying war material.”
He said that Israel is committed to restoring security in the north and south.
He further said, “If Hezbollah makes a mistake and enters into a broad war, it will be destroying Lebanon with its own hands.”
He spoke about the negotiations that took place for the release of hostages.
Netanyahu said the negotiating team, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and Israel Security Agency’s (ISA) efforts in the release of hostages and added that he was in regular contact with the White House and called the efforts “productive”
Netanyahu said, “We conducted tough negotiations under fire, from evening to morning and from morning to evening. I spoke frequently with President Biden and we pressed the intermediaries in order to improve the outline. And indeed, we succeeded in considerably improving it.”
“We applied pressure around the world – the Mossad, the negotiating team, the ISA and the IDF. I was in continuous and daily contact with the White House. The efforts were productive; we doubled the number of those who were released but the mission has yet to be completed,” he added.
He said that Israel will continue to complete its mission of bringing back its hostages. He said, “In order to complete the sacred mission of returning all of our hostages, in order to eliminate Hamas, and in order to ensure that Gaza does not go back to constituting a threat to Israel, and that there will be no element there that educates its children for terrorism – finances terrorism and calls for the destruction of Israel – we are continuing to fight with full force. Our soldiers prepared for this during the pause – for absolute victory over Hamas.”
Netanyahu said that he ordered the IDF to resume fighting with increasing force on November 30. He said that Israel has destroyed over 400 Hamas terrorist targets in the past 24 hours. He said that Israeli forces conducted extensive aerial attacks in Khan Yunis and eliminated terrorists and infrastructure in Beit Lahiya.
Earlier, rocket warning alerts were activated in various areas throughout southern Israel, including Ashkelon, Sderot and other towns near the border with the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.
