JERUSALEM (AFP) – An Israeli general has warned Palestinian militants against carrying out attacks in revenge for the blowing up of a tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into the Jewish state last month.
Major General Yoav Mordechai, head of a defence ministry unit responsible for activities in the Palestinian territories, made the comments in an Arabic-language video distributed late Saturday.
Referring to the Israeli operation on October 30, he said that Israel “destroyed a terror tunnel in Israeli sovereign territory,” which resulted in the death of 12 Palestinian militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
“We are aware of the plot that the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group is planning against Israel,” said Mordechai, whose defence ministry unit is known as COGAT.
“They are playing with fire at the expense of Gazan residents, the Palestinian reconciliation efforts and the stability of the entire region.
“Let it be clear: Any attack by Islamic Jihad will be met with a harsh and determined Israeli response.
“This will not only apply to Islamic Jihad but also to Hamas,” the Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip.
Mordechai also addressed the Damascus-based Islamic Jihad leadership, mentioning Ramadan Shalah and Ziad Nakhaleh by name.
He called on them to “take control over the situation,” as they are the ones “who will be held accountable” for any attack.
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