"We dealt hard blows to Iranian and Syrian forces," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Sunday after a day of clashes along the Syrian border Saturday.
Speaking to his cabinet at the weekly meeting Sunday, Netanyahu addressed the previous day's incidents, which included the downing of an Israeli F-16 fighter jet near the border after a mission in Syria. "We salute our pilots and wish them both a speedy recovery," he said.
Both Israeli pilots ejected from the aircraft after being hit by an anti-aircraft missile early Saturday. One pilot sustained minor injuries and the other was in serious condition. "They defend the State of Israel and we are proud of them," Netanyahu said.
At the start of the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stressed that in responding to an Iranian drone that breached Israeli airspace before dawn Saturday, Israel had made it clear that "the rules of the game have not changed."
"We will continue to counter every attempt to hurt us. This was always our policy and will continue to be our policy," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also praised the many citizens of Israel who, displaying collective courage, arrived in droves at the national parks and sightseeing spots in northern Israel on Saturday despite the tensions at the nearby border. "Yesterday we proved that at the moment of truth, we know how to come together and push away our enemies," he said. "We know how to protect our country."
Earlier, at a faction meeting of his Likud party, Netanyahu said that "we have set some clear red lines, and we will continue to adhere to them."
On Saturday, immediately following the clashes, Netanyahu remarked that Israel would do whatever was necessary to protect its sovereignty and security.
"Israel will defend itself from attack and from any attempt to harm our sovereignty," Netanyahu said. "Iran made such an attempt today. It violated our sovereignty; it sent its aircraft into Israel from Syrian territory. This is both our right and our duty, and we will continue to implement [this policy] as necessary," Netanyahu said.
"Let there be no mistake," he continued. "Israel appeals for peace, but we will continue to defend ourselves with determination against any aggression toward us and any attempt by Iran to establish itself militarily against us in Syria or anywhere else."
In a video statement in English, Netanyahu said he held Iran and Syria responsible for the day's aggression. In a separate statement in Hebrew, he added that he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin and both agreed to continue coordination between the two states' armies.
"I've been warning for some time about the dangers of Iran's military entrenchment in Syria," Netanyahu said. "Iran seeks to use Syrian territory to attack Israel for its professed goal of destroying Israel. This morning Iran brazenly violated Israel's sovereignty, they dispatched an Iranian drone from Syrian territory into Israel and this demonstrates that our warnings were a hundred percent correct.
"Israel holds Iran and its Syrian host responsible for today's aggression; we will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect our sovereignty and our security," he pledged.
Netanyahu said he had reiterated this message in his conversation with Putin.
Intelligence Minister and Diplomatic-Security Cabinet member Yisrael Katz spoke in a similar vein, Saturday.
"Israel proved it stands behind the red line it established. Recent events show that the policy to prevent the Iranians from establishing themselves in Syria was correct. I believe the Iranians will internalize the extent of the damage and the success of our intelligence from the incident."
Housing Minister Yoav Galant called Iran "a dangerous enemy." He said Israel would not "tolerate provocations and will not sit idly by in light of attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty."
Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn Tehran. He said the council must "put an immediate end to Iranian provocations. Council members must not stand idly by as Iran acts to escalate tensions and violates Security Council resolutions."
A senior defense official told Israel Hayom that the reason the drone was sent into Israel was apparently the result of a recent hit to Iran's status as a result of Russia's policies in Syria. According to the official, the Iranian move was a show of strength, but they did not expect such a strong response from Israel. The official further said it was his belief that the firing of the anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli jets was not coordinated with the Iranians following the downing of the down, but rather in response to the Israeli airstrikes on the country.
