Netanyahu warns enemies at Jordan border: "Don't test us"

Prime Minister Netanyahu visited Israel's eastern border front, surveyed the new engineering barrier being erected along the entire length of the frontier, but made clear that unlike Gaza, this is only a small part of a broader regional defense array.

Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Jordan border (Photo: Omer Miron/GPO, Sound: Nir Sharef/GPO)

Netanyahu arrived today to survey the new security apparatus on the eastern border. During the visit, he toured the area of the new barrier being constructed on the eastern frontier together with Defense Minister Israel Katz, Head of the Borders and Seam Administration, Aluf Eran Ophir, Commander of Division 96, Aluf Mishne Oren Simcha, and additional commanders.

He also received a briefing on the efforts made to strengthen the defense array at the border, together with the efforts to reinforce security components on the eastern border.

He said: "I'm here in the Jordan Valley near Kibbutz Masada with the Defense Minister and IDF commanders. What you see behind me is the massive barrier we're building on the eastern border from the Yarmouk to Eilat. We're building this in addition to the security zones we have in Lebanon, in Syria and of course in the Gaza Strip."

He also clarified that this is not another isolated barrier in the style of the Gaza border: "We're surrounding the State of Israel with a massive barrier, but this isn't [the only thing]. There are forces here, there's a work plan, plans against drones, I won't go into details. Simply maximum defense so that we can protect Israel's citizens and not let anyone even think of invading the State of Israel."

Finally, he praised the enormous efforts and advised Israel's enemies not to test the state's determination: "There's massive work here, there's massive engineering work, massive logistical work, there's a mobilization of the Israel Defense Forces, there's a mobilization of the reserves. All this force comes to tell Israel's enemies: Don't test us."