"I promised that we would change the balance of security, the balance of power in the north of Israel. That is what we are doing."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this after Israel earlier on September 23 struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, AFP reported.
The Lebanese health ministry reported 274 dead and about 1,000 wounded as a result of the strikes.
Netanyahu said Israel faced "difficult days" and urged Israelis to remain united throughout the campaign.
"For those who have not understood, I would like to clarify Israel's policy: we do not wait for a threat, we anticipate it. Everywhere, in every arena, at all times. We eliminate senior officers, we eliminate commanders, we eliminate rockets - and we count. Whoever tries to harm us, we will seriously hurt him," the Israeli prime minister said.
Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abyad said some 5,000 people had been wounded "in less than a week" by the Israeli attacks. That number includes 3,500 people who were wounded after a wave of Hezbollah pager explosions on September 18 that was blamed on Israel. | BGNES
