Netanyahu's Speech at the 70th Independence Day Ceremony of Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, expressed confidence that "the torch of Israel's life will remain lit forever" during the opening ceremony of the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the country's independence on Wednesday evening, April 29. He emphasized that enemies who seek to impose darkness and create death and annihilation will surely be defeated. According to monitoring of the ceremony, Mr. Netanyahu stated that "Israel's remarkable capabilities have guaranteed a secure life filled with victories, prosperity, and extraordinary achievements for the people of this country." The Prime Minister did not mention a specific country or enemy by name, but given the recent events in the region, his implied references were directed towards the Iranian government and Tehran's proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. According to Netanyahu, while Israel has faced hardships and has overcome wars and successive crises over the past seventy years, it has achieved capabilities that are "the talk of the world and have provided great gifts to humanity in all fields; yet its enemies ignore Israel's legitimacy and, in their folly, seek to destroy this country; but they themselves will be defeated, and the light of Israel will remain forever bright." Netanyahu thanked Donald Trump, the President of the United States, for his "full and complete support" for Israel, but stated that "Israel's independence means having the ability to defend itself." On the same evening as the start of Israel's celebrations, Donald Trump tweeted a warm congratulation on the "great independence" to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the people of Israel, emphasizing America's support for Israel, stating that "America has no better friend (than Israel) anywhere in the world." Trump also expressed eagerness to transfer the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem next month. In response to Trump's congratulatory message and his reiteration of the imminent embassy transfer, Netanyahu wrote on his social media, "Israel has no greater friend than America; Israel looks forward to the transfer of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of Israel." Netanyahu also thanked Trump during the independence celebration for his "full and complete support" for Israel but reiterated that "Israel's independence means having the ability to defend itself and stand on its own feet." Israel held its special 70th anniversary celebrations amid heightened tensions with Iran, with reports indicating that the ceremonies were taking place under this crisis. On Friday, April 24, Israel "revealed" that Iran's action of sending a suicide drone on a combat mission against a military target in Israel on January 21 marked the direct entry of the Islamic Republic of Iran into confrontation with Israel. Israeli media reported on Tuesday, April 28, citing military reports, that Israel was prepared to confront potential attacks from Iran and its allies; the Israeli army provided media with satellite images and maps showing Iranian military presence in Syria, apparently indicating that Iranian air and drone units are present at five airports in Syria. According to reports, since 2012, Israel has attacked targets in Syria over a hundred times to maintain its "red lines"; Israel has emphasized that it will not tolerate the transfer of weaponry that could disrupt the balance from Iran to Hezbollah through Syria but has recently issued severe warnings regarding the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria. While Israel officially remained silent regarding the attack on the T-4 airbase in Homs, Syria, on Monday, April 20, Russia attributed the attack to Israel, and Thomas Friedman, a prominent New York Times journalist, reported that an Israeli official told him the attack was indeed carried out by Israel. The bodies of at least seven Iranian military personnel sent to Syria, including a colonel who was an expert in the drone units of the Revolutionary Guard, were returned to Iran for burial after being killed in the attack attributed to Israel at the T-4 base; Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to the Iranian leader, and Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, have stated that the Israeli attack will not go unanswered. However, Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Defense Minister, stated that Iran's military presence in Syria has become a noose around Israel's neck that the country will not tolerate. Lieberman also mentioned during the memorial ceremonies for the fallen in Israel's independence struggle that "the regional situation is fragile and could lead to war at any moment," urging enemies to "take our warnings seriously." The Defense Minister warned Hezbollah and Hamas as well, stating, "We are not seeking adventure, but when it comes to our security, there is no room for compromise." According to Israeli media, Naftali Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party and an ally of Netanyahu's government coalition, also stated on Tuesday night that "Israel is stronger than Iran" and "will respond powerfully to threats wherever they arise." Bennett, during the memorial ceremony for the fallen in Jerusalem, said, "The Iranian terrorist octopus wants to challenge Israel and undermine our morale... but from here I tell the leaders of Iran, Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah: do not test us." Meanwhile, NBC reported that an Israeli official confirmed in an interview with the American network that in the current security situation, the country did not send its fighter jets to participate in a drill in Alaska scheduled for three weeks later. The escalation of the crisis between Israel and Iran regarding Syria and the prospect of further Israeli attacks on Iranian-affiliated targets in Syria comes as the U.S., Britain, and France launched simultaneous strikes on military targets and chemical weapons production centers in Syria on Saturday, targeting the country allied with Iran. While the three global powers stated that the goal of the Saturday morning attacks was not to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime, Israel has warned that it could "finish off Assad's work." Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that "Israel will regret its actions." In this context, American lawmakers have warned about the "presence and influence" of Iran and Russia in Syria, and Israeli media have published images of "the location of Iranian forces in Syria."