Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday morning, at the start of his weekly Cabinet meeting, made the following remarks:
“This morning we express deep sorrow over the passing of Duvdevan unit fighter St.-Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky. He was mortally wounded during an operation last week in Ramallah. Duvdevan is a splendid unit that has contributed, and is contributing, greatly to the security of Israel and the saving of the lives of Israeli citizens.
“Over the weekend, I spoke with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. I told him that I very much appreciated the determined position of the US administration regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran and against Iranian aggression in our region.
“The regime in Tehran is the main element undermining stability in the Middle East. The campaign against its aggression is not over; we are still in the midst of it.
“We are working to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapons. At the same time we are working against the establishment of an Iranian military presence against us. To this end we are also operating against the transfer of deadly weapons from Syria to Lebanon or their manufacture in Lebanon. All of these weapons are for use against the State of Israel and it is our right – based on the right of self-defense – to prevent their manufacture or transfer.
“Neither will we tolerate attacks against us from the Gaza Strip. Last night the air force attacked terrorist targets deep in the Gaza Strip after our forces had taken action against Hamas targets along the contact line and neutralized an IED on the fence.
“The IDF and the security forces are working around the clock to protect the State of Israel, Israeli citizens and Israel’s borders.”