"Israel is stronger than all of its enemies; we won't hesitate to use our force to ensure the safety of our citizens. You are the cream of the crop of the nation of Israel," Prime Minister Yair Lapid told the IDF's newest combat officers at their graduation ceremony on a base in southern Israel on Thursday. The ceremony was also attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
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Addressing the regional environment, the premier said Israel "is a country facing complicated threats: the Iranian nuclear program, Hezbollah's precision missiles in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, terrorist nests in Jenin, the terror axis seeking to establish a foothold in Syria.
"Our enemies need to know that at any given moment we are stronger, more sophisticated, and tougher than them.
"And our enemies need to know one more thing: that we will stand up to them, together," he added. "That Israeli society is stronger than any argument. That Israeli power is the power of togetherness."
The prime minister said that in order for Israel's enemies to understand that "we are not worth messing with… the best young people in Israel, the most determined," must train as officers in the IDF. "I look at you – this condition is met.
"One of the things taught to IDF officers in their training is that you cannot win on your own," Lapid said. "If you want to be trusted, you must have trust in your troops and your commanders. Our mission as a society is to renew trust in our democracy, in the IDF, the police and the courts, and most of all in each other."
Gantz also spoke at the ceremony, warning Lebanon that it would bear responsibility for Hezbollah's aggressions emanating from Lebanese soil. Over the past week, the IDF has thwarted two Hezbollah drone attacks on its Karish gas field in the Mediterranean Sea.
"Hezbollah should know that its actions in the service of Iran might be devastating, first of all, to the interests of the Lebanese people," the defense minister said.
Kochavi, who followed Gantz, told the army's newest battlefield officers that the "fate of the country' is in the hands of the security forces,' in the words of [David] Ben-Gurion on May 14, 1948, on the day the state was established."
He urged the newly-minted officers to "be bold and disciplined, enterprising and not wild. Take responsibility and be capable of bearing the consequences.
"To be an officer in the IDF is a right that entails a double responsibility: To protect the State of Israel and influence its fate, and to lead people in routine times, in emergencies, and in combat. This is a very heavy responsibility, and I trust you – very much, and I am very proud of you."
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