Visiting north, PM says Israel won’t ‘sit on its hands’; war cabinet split on timing of operation; Herzog urges world leaders to act before events spiral out of control

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday that Israel was prepared with an “extremely powerful” response to attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon, which have escalated significantly in recent days.

“Anyone who thinks that they can harm us and that we will sit on our hands is sorely mistaken,” Netanyahu said during a visit to the northern city of Kiryat Shmona, which has been largely evacuated since the Lebanon-based terror group began attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the border on a near-daily basis on October 8.

Hours later, at least 11 Israelis were wounded, one critically, in a Hezbollah-claimed attack with explosive-laden drones on the Druze-majority town of Hurfeish, located several kilometers from the Lebanon border.

Later, speaking at an event to commemorate Jerusalem Day, Netanyahu again vowed that Israel would restore calm to the north, whatever it takes.

“Iran is trying to choke us and encircle us and we are fighting back directly and with its proxies, Netanyahu said. “We can’t accept the continuation of the situation in the north, it won’t continue. We will return the resident to their homes and bring back security.

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