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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Golan Heights on Wednesday and observed an Israel Defense Forces exercise in the region that borders Syria.
"The exercise we are doing here is not theoretical," Netanyahu told soldiers from the IDF's Golani Brigade. "The reality around us is changing at tremendous speed. [The situation] is explosive and dynamic and we need to be prepared accordingly."
Netanyahu said the IDF needs to be ready to dictate situations in line with developments.
"We are not looking to challenge anyone, but no one will harm the State of Israel without [receiving] a strong and decisive response," he said.
Netanyahu said battles are won by determination and "the ability to break the enemy and at the decisive moment instill in them the fear of death. That's how battles are won."
"I hope they won't test us, but if they do ... I'm sure we will meet every challenge," Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday that more than 100,000 people have been killed since the start of the civil war in Syria over two years ago.
The group, which has been tracking the death toll through a network of activists in Syria, said that 100,191 people have died. Of those, 36,661 were civilians, it said.
According to the group's data, 25,407 of the fatalities recorded so far were members of Syrian President Bashar Assad's armed forces, 17,311 were pro-government fighters and 169 were Hezbollah militants, who had fought alongside army troops.
Deaths among Assad's opponents included 13,539 rebels, 2,015 army defectors and 2,518 foreign fighters battling against the regime.
Earlier this month, the U.N. put the death toll in Syria at 93,000 between March 2011 when the crisis started and end of April this year.
