11/02/2023

“We did it yesterday, and we will not hesitate to act in the future,” the new defense minister said.

“Yesterday morning, the IDF and the security forces took vital action for the security of Israel,” said newly appointed Defense Minister Naftali Bennett Wednesday, in his first remarks following the assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Bahaa Abu al-Ata.
“He acted against the citizens of Israel,” Bennett said. “He was eliminated.
“We did it yesterday, and we will not hesitate to act in the future,” he continued.
Bennett said that al-Ata’s assassination should send a “clear message to all of our enemies: Whoever plans to hurt us during the day, cannot be sure that he will make it through the night.”
He noted that the IDF commanders, headed by the chief of staff, and all of the security forces are doing what they can to ensure Israelis can sleep in peace.
Bennett was appointed to his role with less than two weeks left before Blue and White leader Benny Gantz’s mandate to try to form a government is to end, leaving him not much time in his seat as defense minister on the 14th floor of the IDF Military Headquarters.On Tuesday, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi addressed the country about al-Ata’s assassination, Bennett was nowhere to be found.
Earlier in the day, Environment Minister Ze’ev Elkin of Likud also spoke about the assassination. He claimed on Channel 12’s news that Israel had achieved its goal in the current round of fighting.
“Our mission this round has been achieved,” he said. “One of the top terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Bahaa Abu al-Ata who was responsible for firing at us for a long time and blasted the attempts to calm the Gaza Strip, is no longer with us.”He added that Israeli deterrence was restored following al-Ata’s elimination.
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