Herzi Halevi: Whoever attacks the citizens of Israel, we are ready to reach and kill

Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, IDF Chief of Staff, said in a speech on Thursday that, to "whoever attacks the citizens of Israel, whoever attacks the State of Israel, we are ready to go far, to gather accurate intelligence, to reach and kill."

Halevi spoke to several high-level commanders in the Southern Command during a situational assessment.

"We struck Beirut, and we are striking Gaza, and we will defend strongly, and then we will also attack strongly. This message is very important."

"It is impossible to do this without relying on the fact that there are reservists with strong will, with a high professional ability, and with an [unmatched] level of dedication."

"The IDF is fighting excellently, you are fighting excellently, but we need to know that we have the patience, the determination to continue to do it all the way until we achieve the war goals."

Part of a series of assassinations

Halevi referenced the killing of 12 Druze children last week in Majdal Shams and the response of assassinating Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The twin assassinations, along with the assassination of Mohammed Deif a few weeks earlier, were part of a series of targeted attacks on high-ranking members of Hamas and Hezbollah in the wake of the October 7 massacre.

Iran has threatened a severe response for killing Haniyeh while he was in the capital, Tehran, to attend the inauguration of new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.