Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the next generation of Israel Defense Forces officers at a graduation ceremony for a combat officers’ course at the Bahad 1 military academy in the Negev on Thursday, saying that he believes in the “winning combination of quality and quantity together.”
“As I passed among you now—the new officers and officers—I saw the quality up close, in your eyes. I clearly noticed the sense of purpose and the strength of the spirit inherent in you. This is the wonderful spirit of the people of Israel, whose roots are planted in the soil of the homeland, and which it defends with devotion. And now, from this stage, I also clearly see the number. Rows and rows of hundreds of young commanders—on the parade ground of Bahad 1. You proudly represent our people, our country. Congratulations to you!” Netanyahu said.
Israel’s longest-serving prime minister went on to say that Israel is in the midst of a protracted, multi-front war that is no less important than the country’s War of Independence that secured its inception in 1948.
The Hamas-led invasion into Israel’s northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, 2023, “was the opening shot in the malicious plan of Israel’s enemies to destroy Israel,” Netanyahu said.
“They thought that the brutal massacre they committed against us would bring us down. But we—we turned the tables. He who persecuted us—becomes the persecuted,” he continued.
The premier noted that in Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, “and other places—both visible and invisible”—Israel “fundamentally changed the rules of the game.” He emphasized that “first and foremost, we changed ourselves. We broke through the barrier of fear—with momentum, initiative, and aggression. And our iron fist struck down anyone who raised their hand against us.”
Netanyahu added, “In the wild space in which we live, one clear truth resonates. It is an ancient truth, and woe to those who forget it: ‘He who comes to kill you, rise early to slay him.’ Don’t give them the opportunity to kill us. We live in a turbulent, barbaric Middle East. And this rule, which not everyone recognizes, I think most of our people recognize. It guarantees our future. It guarantees that in the end we will also achieve peace with some of our enemies, as we did.”
The prime minister then stressed that the IDF is “gripping the Gaza Strip from all sides,” facing a crushed Hamas, while the western Negev is “thriving again.”
In Israel’s north, security forces established buffer zones in Lebanon and Syria that prevent the danger of a ground invasion, Netanyahu continued.
“We dominate Southern Lebanon from the summit of the Beaufort. And we will remain, for as long as necessary, in the security zone in Southern Lebanon. We are not going to withdraw from it. And I’ll tell you why: because we have gone from controlled territory to controlling territory, and we will hold that commanding ground for as long as necessary. From there, we will protect the residents of northern Israel and all the citizens of Israel,” he pledged.
As for the Iranian regime and its Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, the Israeli premier reiterated his stance that “with or without an agreement—as long as I am the head of the Israeli government, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Under no circumstances will we allow Iran to develop nuclear bombs.”
