Standing on Israel’s northern frontier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government has fundamentally changed its security posture toward the border with Lebanon, pledging an aggressive response to threats alongside a sweeping investment plan aimed at stabilizing and revitalizing the region.

“There is no containment, no leniency,” Netanyahu said Sunday during a special weekly cabinet meeting held in Kiryat Shmona. “We act against every threat in real time and on an ongoing basis, and we will continue to do so.”

The remarks come as Israel continues to face sustained tensions along the northern border, with residents displaced for months amid cross-border fire and uncertainty over a broader confrontation.

At the core of the plan is a multi-phase economic and infrastructure package. Netanyahu said the government will announce a 400 million shekel ($100+ million) investment within 45 days, focused on housing, business development, healthcare and communications. That initial tranche, he added, will be followed by a broader commitment totaling “billions of shekels” over time.

A centerpiece of the proposal is the upgrade of Tel-Hai Academic College into a full-fledged university, a move aimed at anchoring young families and professionals in the north.

Netanyahu also used the visit to announce the reopening of the Kiryat Shmona airport to civilian flights for the first time in more than two decades. Standing beside Transportation Minister Miri Regev, the prime minister said the government would push air, rail and high-speed road links to the city.

“People will be able to travel by train and reach Tel Aviv in under an hour,” Netanyahu said.

Regev offered a more cautious timeline, saying rail travel to Tel Aviv would take closer to two hours, but confirmed plans for commercial flights to Ben Gurion Airport and Eilat.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)