Netanyahu’s office stated that the Prime Minister is currently holding a security assessment at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, together with members of the War Cabinet and senior security establishment officials.

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday held a security assessment at the Kirya in Tel Aviv with the War Cabinet members and senior security establishment officials. Taking to his official social media ‘X’, Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office stated, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently holding a security assessment at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, together with members of the War Cabinet and senior security establishment officials.”

On Sunday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said they had carried out strikes against two more Hezbollah squads in southern Lebanon before they could launch attacks on Israel.

One of the Hezbollah cells, in the Mount Dov area, planned to launch rockets, while the second, near the northern town of Mattat, planned to launch an anti-tank guided missile, the IDF added. This strike marked the sixth and seventh Hezbollah cells that the IDF hit on Sunday, The Times of Israel reported.

It stated further that it was currently carrying out a wave of airstrikes against dozens of Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.

Israel declared war on Hamas on October 7 after the terrorist group unleashed a rocket barrage from across the border in Gaza and sent in fighters, who crossed over and broke into homes, killing civilians.

While many of them were engaged by Israeli forces, some managed to sneak back into Gaza with more than 200 civilian hostages.

Several Merkava tanks and troops were positioned on Sunday by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) near the Gaza border in South Israel, following the government’s announcement that it intends to launch a ground operation against Hamas in the “near future”.

The Merkava, a series of main battle tanks utilised by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), serves as the cornerstone of its armoured corps. The Merkava gained significant operational experience during the 1982 Lebanon War, and its name is derived from the IDF’s initial development programme.

In the meantime, Benjamin Netanyahu held telephonic conversations with the leaders of France, Spain, and the Netherlands on the ongoing offensive on Hamas, underlining “the determination of the people to eliminate” the terror group’s military. Notably, he had held a series of conversations with leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The Israeli PM’s office posted from its official handle on X, “The Prime Minister told the leaders about the unity and determination of the people to eliminate Hamas’s military and governing capabilities and said that Israel’s victory over Hamas would be a victory for the entire world.”

He thanked the leaders for their support of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’s “brutal terrorism”.

“French President Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte will arrive tomorrow and Tuesday and will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” the Israeli PM’s office posted on X.

(With inputs from ANI)