Prime Minister Netanyahu told an Israel Air Force pilots' course graduation ceremony on Thursday:
- When one flies over the state, one sees how close to us the various threats are. In our region there are endless disputes and awful, brutal violence. The fire of Islamic fanaticism is licking at our northern and southern borders. Your, and our, supreme mission is to safeguard our home, the State of Israel.
- Our policy for doing so is twofold, to prevent and foil attacks as much as possible, and to respond in strength to any attack. We will not tolerate attacks against us, neither from Gaza, nor from the Golan Heights, nor from the Lebanese border or from anywhere.
- Therefore, the IDF responded in strength and immediately to the recent attempt by the terrorist organizations to raise their heads. We hold Hamas responsible for any violation of the quiet emanating from Gaza and will act accordingly.
- Our counter-terrorist actions are carried out in a wide circle, occasionally far from our borders. The air force has a decisive role in implementing this policy on land, sea and air. Our soldiers attack terrorist organizations and systematically disrupt the supply of war materiel sent to them mainly by Iran and its proxies.
- We are determined to prevent our enemies from acquiring deadly weapons that could endanger our security, and we are determined to do everything to prevent Iran, which has recently again called for our destruction, from attaining nuclear weapons.
