Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to return to the north to “what it was and more” at a government meeting convened Tuesday in Nahariya, while praising a stern warning to Hamas from incoming President-elect Donald Trump.
Netanyahu expressed his thanks to Trump for his statement Monday warning Hamas in Gaza to return the remaining hostages kidnapped from Israel at the start of the war before he enters the Oval Office on January 20, 2025.
Trump Warns Hamas: RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW!
“This adds another force to our continued effort to release all the hostages. Thank you, President Trump.”
The government meeting was convened in Nahariya the day after Hezbollah launched two mortar shells at northern Israel in the first cross-border violation of the ceasefire that began one week ago.
Incessant Hezbollah rocket fire has killed four people and left massive damage in the northern Mediterranean coastal city since October 8, 2023, the start of the war on Israel’s northern front.
“We want a bustling and vibrant north with the restoration of the settlements, with industry, with tourism, and even beyond what it was,” Netanyahu said.
“To this end, the government is now formulating and will soon submit a comprehensive, systematic plan for the north, including a plan for the city of Nahariya.”
Among the decisions made was one to preserve the city’s tax benefits in addition to developing industrial zones and “building the defense,” he said.
Netanyahu added, however, that although Israel and Hezbollah are currently in ceasefire, the war has not yet ended.
“We are protecting the ceasefire with an iron fist,” he said. “We are acting against every violation, and in response we attacked more than 20 targets and objectives throughout Lebanon.
“We are committed to a ceasefire, but we will not tolerate ceasefire violations by the other side. And I also say here very clearly that we will not return to the situation of October 6, 2023,” Netanyahu emphasized.
