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Responding to the Hizballah Attack
[Ministry of Foreign Affairs] The government of Israel issued the following statement Wednesday after a meeting of the Israeli Cabinet: A very grave event occurred today inside the territory of the State of Israel. A Hizballah force crossed our northern border and attacked a routine IDF patrol. As a result of this attack, eight soldiers were killed, soldiers and civilians were wounded, and the invading force abducted two soldiers to Lebanese territory. This action, along with the events of the past month, creates a new and complex reality that compels us to deal with it. Today's attack, like the 25 June 2006 attack at Kerem Shalom, is the product of those who perpetrate terrorism and those who give it shelter. Israel views the sovereign Lebanese government as responsible for the action that originated on its soil and for the return of the abducted soldiers to Israel. Israel demands that the Lebanese government implement UN Security Council Resolution 1559. There is no doubt that Hizballah, a terrorist organization operating inside Lebanon, initiated and perpetrated today's action; Israel will act against it in a manner required by its actions. The international community understands that every country, including Israel, must act aggressively against enemy targets such as Hizballah. The new reality in which the State of Israel is operating requires special readiness, especially in light of the possibility that the enemy will seek to attack the home front.