Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel has delivered “surprising and crushing blows” to Hezbollah, during his opening speech at the weekly cabinet meeting. Netanyahu confirmed that Israel eliminated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr three weeks ago and thwarted a recent attack plan. While Hezbollah claims successful strikes against Israel, Netanyahu stated that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) preemptively destroyed thousands of short-range rockets and intercepted drones targeting strategic locations. He emphasized that this action is a step towards securing northern Israel and warned Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of further consequences.