Defense Minister Israel Katz held a security assessment Thursday with senior military officials, including IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the head of Military Intelligence, the commander of the Southern Command, and other defense establishment leaders.
During the meeting, Katz announced that an ultimatum period regarding balloon and kite launches from the Gaza Strip had expired. "We made clear that from our perspective, every launch constitutes an act of terrorism in every respect --- and that is how we will treat it," the defense minister stated.
Katz outlined a new policy of immediate retaliation: "From now on, every launch will be met with a powerful response against those responsible, the organizers and the executors, as well as against the launch sites and the infrastructure used for these purposes." He added that in accordance with directives from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and himself, the IDF would employ all necessary measures, including evacuating populations from neighborhoods or areas from which launches occur, in order to address the sources of terrorism.
The defense minister emphasized that Israel would not permit Hamas or any other entity to return to patterns of harassment and threats against southern communities that existed before October 7. "Whoever does so will pay a heavy price," Katz warned.
