Press Briefing by IDF Spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, April 15, 2024

Good evening,

I arrived this evening at the Nevatim Airbase along with the Chief of the General Staff. We met with the Commanding Officer of the base, the air crews, the squadrons, and the technical staff. They all participated in Operation ‘Iron Shield’. The base is fully operational and continues to deploy aircraft for operational missions. The Chief of the General Staff expressed his great appreciation for the professional and precise operation of the pilots, which thwarted the Iranian attack. This attack was on its way to Israel and was almost thwarted without crossing into our territory.
The operational activity at Nevatim Airbase continues around the clock. Additionally, we saw the damage here at the base from the Iranian attack. There was only minor damage to the infrastructure, with a total of four hits. One hit near the runway, two hits in open areas, and one more hit near a building, causing minor damage; it was a building under construction. All this damage will be repaired in the coming days. This base is operating around the clock, it functioned during Operation ‘Iron Shield’ and today as well, from this base, aircraft took off to protect the skies of the State of Israel.

The IDF, with all its units, continues to be prepared and ready in defense of the country.
We are conducting a situational assessment and monitoring developments.

In the north, during operational activity near the border from the Lebanese side, at night, our defensive activities on the border fence resulted in four IDF soldiers being wounded due to an explosion, the source of which we are still investigating.
Immediately after the explosion, a rapid evacuation of the soldiers began with air and ground support. One of the soldiers was severely injured and was evacuated with the others to receive hospital treatment. I wish from here a quick and full recovery to the soldiers.
Overnight, Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck a number of Hezbollah targets in various areas in southern Lebanon.

In Gaza, IDF soldiers continue to operate in the center of the Strip. So far, during the operation in the area, we have killed dozens of terrorists and damaged infrastructure.

Last night, around midnight, we decided, following an operational situational assessment, to lift the restrictions on the home front. It's important for me to clarify—our foremost consideration is the security of the civilians. I know that the consequences on the economy, on children, on the home, and on work, are very significant. We lift restrictions as soon as we can, and yesterday, due to the security situation, we could only do so close to midnight. If we had been able to lift them earlier, we would have, and if necessary—to reinstate guidelines—we will do so. The Home Front Command is making tremendous efforts to coordinate optimally with local authorities to ease conditions where possible.

We are in a war on multiple fronts. The threats vary in their intensity and frequency, and accordingly, so do the guidelines. The guidelines may also change in the coming days. We will continue to update you on any changes immediately.

Also this evening, here at Nevatim, we don’t forget the 133 hostages still held in Gaza under harsh conditions. Even here at the base, the only thing on the pilots' and the technical teams’ minds as they take to the air is how to bring the hostages home as quickly as possible. We will continue to do everything we can to bring them back home.