Israel’s recent air campaign against the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip restored Israel’s deterrence in the region, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, comparing the operation to the conflict with Hamas two years ago.
Speaking at a Likud party meeting Monday afternoon, Netanyahu touted Operation Shield and Arrow as a major success and a definitive victory over Islamic Jihad, claiming that the five-day campaign had wiped out half of the terrorist group’s leadership, and restored quiet to southern Israel.
He stated: “Something has changed. We came to change the deterrence equation and not for the first time. The most significant change in the balance of deterrence took place two years ago in Operation Guardian of the Walls. Since Guardian of the Walls, Hamas has not fired a single rocket into our territory. They are deterred. Operation Guardian of the Walls dealt Hamas the hardest blow in its history and caused a change in the deterrence equation and it has been working for two years now.”
Netanyahu vowed that the annual Jerusalem Day Flag March will “take place as usual” this Thursday, along the traditional route.
Time will tell if Israel can look forward to an extended period of safety and security. We pray it becomes a permanent fixture in Israeli daily life.
Sources:
Netanyahu: We changed the balance of deterrence, by Israel National News, May 15, 2023