Citizens of Israel,
We are at the end of the third week of Operation Roaring Lion.
Together with all IDF commanders, we feel each day the weight of responsibility resting on our shoulders, and the price you, on the home front, are paying with courage and patience. Regrettably, we are also experiencing painful civilian losses in the missile attacks; our hearts are with those murdered, the injured, and their families.
The endurance you demonstrate is a critical component of our national strength. Without your steadfast support, our troops would not be able to operate with power and determination.
Our tactical achievements over the past week have already been widely noted; my counterparts across the region are conveying to me messages of appreciation and astonishment at our defensive and offensive capabilities, as well as our unique intelligence. They clearly understand the magnitude of the threat and are asking that we persist in removing the danger. The extensive degradation we have inflicted on the Iranian terror regime over the past three weeks is beginning to accumulate into a systemic, strategic achievement—military, economic, and governmental.
As a result, the regime of evil is weaker; the Iranian regime is more exposed and without significant defensive capability. The regime’s leaders, who developed capabilities with the aim of destroying us, are struck and disoriented.
I would like to once again thank our partners in the United States Armed Forces. I am in close and daily contact with them as part of the operational tempo. The trust between us is high; we share a common target bank, and our military plans are synchronized and coordinated.
The strategic partnership with our ally is an unprecedented source of strength in this operation. There is a shared interest—a commitment to removing an existential threat from Israel, from the United States, and from the entire region.
Just yesterday, Iran launched a two-stage intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 4,000 kilometers toward an American target on Diego Garcia Island. These missiles are not intended to strike Israel. Their range extends to the capitals of Europe—Berlin, Paris, and Rome are all within direct threat range.
We have learned from world and Jewish history that denying a threat or appeasing it does not eliminate it—on the contrary, it projects weakness and encourages extremist regimes. Those who do not confront a threat at its outset will, in time, become hostage to it. The possession of lethal strategic capabilities by radical, dictatorial regimes poses a danger not only to Israel, but to the world. The United States, through its leadership and its powerful military, defends the entire free world.
Alongside the powerful operation we are conducting in Iran, we are also leading limited and targeted ground operations along our northern border.
This morning, I visited Metula and Kiryat Shmona, met with the heads of the local authorities, and listened to the challenges they are facing.
Today, I approved Northern Command’s plans for the enhancement of the forward defensive posture. I met with the division commanders and brigade commanders. We are all determined to fundamentally change the security reality along the northern border.
No more containment. There is initiative. There is preemptive action.
Our troops will stand as a barrier between the enemy and the civilian communities, and any threat to them will be removed.
Our operation in Iran is weakening Hezbollah. In service of Iran, Hezbollah is destabilizing Lebanon and has dragged it into war. The current *forward defensive posture* will advance our strategic objective of disarming Hezbollah.
Dear citizens of Israel—we are at the midway point, but the direction is clear. In about a week, on Passover, the Festival of Freedom, we will continue to fight for our freedom and our future.
This week, I met one of the squadron commanders as he returned from a sortie in Iran. He told me that his mother said she is worried and hopes the war will end. He, for his part, replied that if she is truly concerned for him and his children, it is better that the operation continue until we complete the mission—for the sake of our future and the future of the generations to come.
This spirit of mothers and fathers exists in countless homes of those who serve—the families of those on the front line of defense, safeguarding the home while carrying deep concern. You too are the heroes of Operation Roaring Lion.
The IDF continues its extensive operational activity.
With determination and responsibility, we will lead to victory