Protests and applause greet Netanyahu at officer graduation as he vows to block Iran

At an officers’ graduation ceremony at the IDF’s Bahad 1 base, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was heckled with cries of “Go home,” followed by applause. Soon after, other members of the audience shouted “Hail Bibi,” and cheered. Netanyahu used the platform to argue that critics were ignoring Israel’s achievements, saying, “Only a blind man would say there are no achievements.” He said the country had made a major breakthrough with the operations he called “With a Lion” and “Roar of the Lion,” and added that Israel still had more to do against Iran and Hamas.

Netanyahu also reiterated that Iran would not get nuclear weapons, saying that, with or without a deal, “as long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.” Amid Iranian threats and demands for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a demand Washington has not fully rejected, he said Israel controls southern Lebanon from Mount Bofor and will remain in the security zone for as long as necessary.

He said Israel would not withdraw from those positions and would use them to protect residents of the north and all Israeli citizens. Without directly addressing tensions with the Trump administration, he did refer to friction with the Biden administration during the war, saying there had been foreign pressure to stop ammunition supplies and that he told American allies, “If necessary, we will fight with our fingernails.”

Netanyahu told the new officers they would have complete freedom of action and full backing from him, the chief of staff, and the senior command. He called Israel a small country with great strength, rooted above all in its people.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said this was “a time for action” and told the graduating commanders they had been called into battle from the “hell of October 7,” praising the soldiers and reservists who have stood guard since that day. Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army would remain in security zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza without time limits, and warned that if Iran attacks Israel over its actions in Lebanon or for any other reason, Israel will strike back with full force.