Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told new IDF officers that the War of Restoration is as significant as Israel's War of Independence, vowed Israel will not withdraw from the security buffer zone in Lebanon, and reiterated that Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons — with or without a deal. He also took a veiled swipe at rival Gadi Eisenkot, quoting 'he who rises to kill you, rise to kill him first.'
At the IDF Officer Training School (Bahad 1) graduation ceremony Thursday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a wide-ranging address covering the war's significance, the future of the Lebanon buffer zone, Iran's nuclear program, and an unusually sharp political jab at former Chief of Staff and current political rival Gadi Eisenkot.
According to the Yinnon desk report of the event, Netanyahu declared that the War of Restoration is no less important than the War of Independence — a direct reframing of the current multi-front campaign as a founding-era equivalent. He also vowed that Israel will remain in the security buffer zone in southern Lebanon 'as long as necessary' and will not withdraw, and repeated his long-standing stance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons, with or without a U.S.-Iran agreement.
Netanyahu's most pointed remark came regarding Eisenkot: 'Woe to he who forgets the ancient truth — he who rises to kill you, rise to kill him first.' The comment drew a rebuke from Beit Hamataneh, the campaign of Eisenkot and Benny Gantz, which accused the prime minister of 'violating the most basic norms of respect for the bereaved family' — an apparent reference to Eisenkot's son, a reserve officer who fell in combat in Gaza in December 2024.
The Zioneer has previously reported (June 15, 21) similar statements regarding Iran and the Lebanon buffer zone, echoing past graduation and memorial speeches. This is the first time Netanyahu publicly framed the War of Restoration as equal to 1948, and the first time he used the 'rise to kill him first' maxim against a named rival outside the Knesset.
4 developments
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Source and signal
- Internal intake