[CLEARED FOR PUBLICATION] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited southern Lebanon today (Sunday), alongside Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

Netanyahu arrived at an IDF outpost near the border, where he received a briefing on the division’s activities from the Commander of the Galilee Formation, Brig. Gen. Yuval Gaz.

During the visit, the Prime Minister told the soldiers: “The war continues, including within the security zone in Lebanon, where I was just a short while ago. What we are seeing is that we have thwarted the threat of invasion from Lebanon thanks to this security zone, distancing the danger of anti-tank missile fire and also dealing with indirect fire [rockets], but there is still work to do. We have done immense work, tremendous achievements; there is still more to do—and we are doing it.”

The visit took place in the shadow of the collapse of negotiations between the United States and Iran.

Addressing this issue in his remarks, the Prime Minister stated: “One of the things we see here is that we have essentially changed the face of the Middle East. Our enemies—Iran and the axis of evil—came to destroy us, and now they are simply fighting for their survival. We see this in every single arena. This is a tremendous achievement for the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces, our regular and wonderful reserve soldiers. The people of Israel salute you.”