Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took a tour on Monday to the Golan Heights to see a drill by the reserve soldiers of the Paratroopers Brigade, and during his visit he stopped at an outlook overlooking Syria.
At the start of his tour Netanyahu was given an update on the drill by Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, Northern Commander Aviv Kokhavi and division commanders.
After viewing part of the drill, Netanyahu toured the field and spoke with the reserve soldiers and commanders taking part.
The Prime Minister praised the commanders for maintaining stability in the front, while noting the various security threats facing the Jewish state.
“We have Da’esh (Islamic State) on the other side of the fences here (in Syria), Hezbollah on the other sides of the fences here and there (in Syria and Lebanon), we have Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza and global jihad and Da’esh in Sinai,” he said.
“We are proud of how in the entire stormy, raging and rambunctious Middle East, we succeeded in preserving relative quiet in the state of Israel and relative security. We are acting when we need to act, including here, beyond the border, in dozens of strikes, to prevent Hezbollah from [acquiring] game-changing weapons.”
Netanyahu addressed the soldiers, saying, “we are also active in other fronts near and far, but we do it wisely. If we must enter combat – and that possibility stands before us and for that reason you are here – that is because we could not prevent the danger to the state of Israel through another way, and (it is) in order to give you the maximum in tools to defeat and win for the state of Israel.”
“You look at the earthquake around us and you see peoples and states getting erased, and if someone expects that someone will come to help them that doesn’t happen,” he said, again addressing the soldiers.
“If we learned one thing, it’s that we must be prepared to defend ourselves with our own power. That is the meaning of reserve army duty that you are doing here.”
“I want to thank you and express my esteem for all that you are doing, and I want you to know that the nation expresses esteem for that, and as much as possible we will give that expression in terms of resources, but the greatest resource is what you have in your hearts.”
