Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said terrorism must be “exterminated” during a tour of the Nablus Sector and the IDF’s Samaria Regional Division on Thursday.
Gallant, who was joined by brigade commander Lt. Col. Shimon Siso and Golani patrol commander Lt. Col. Matan Feldman, praised IDF forces for a Wednesday operation that ended in the compromise of wanted terrorists – despite facing heavy resistance and gunfire during the operation.
“I congratulate the security forces who acted yesterday in Nablus, under pressure and heavy fire, against terrorists who planned to carry out attacks on Israeli territory.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant
“I congratulate the security forces who acted yesterday in Nablus, under pressure and heavy fire, against terrorists who planned to carry out attacks on Israeli territory,” said Gallant at the tour, “The combination between the intelligence operations, the planning and execution of the fighters brought an impressive achievement to our forces, who successfully completed their mission and prevented harm to the citizens of Israel,” said Gallant.
“We will be crippled by terrorism everywhere until we exterminate it,” Gallant continued in his remarks. "The IDF and the security forces will act hard against terrorists… This was the case a few weeks ago in Jenin and Jericho, this was also the case in Nablus, and this will be the case whenever we are required to act.”
Israel’s newest Defense Minister
Gallant succeeded Benny Gantz in the defense minister role after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government was sworn in in December. A former commander of the Southern Command in the IDF, Gallant served as education minister from 2020 to 2021.
Gallant said that Iran, its proxies and all anti-Israel terror groups would fail in their mission to destroy Israel during his induction ceremony at IDF headquarters in January.
“The nuclear efforts which Iran is leading, the rockets being fired from the Gaza Strip and all of the firing on IDF forces in Jenin have one common goal: to weaken us, to infect us with fear and to witness our destruction. They will not succeed in this purpose!” Gallant declared at his induction.