IDF soldiers,
The oath of allegiance to the Israel Defense Forces – which I swore, which we all swore – we seal with the words: For the defense of the homeland and the freedom of Israel. The festival of freedom that we will celebrate tonight is a profound reminder of our responsibility for that freedom.
More than three thousand years ago, our people left Egypt – not only from slavery to freedom, but from helplessness to responsibility for their fate and the struggle for their right to exist. This struggle has continued, unceasingly, ever since. For four weeks, we have been in the midst of a new phase of the campaign: in Iran, in Lebanon, and on other fronts – we are taking our fate into our own hands.
In recent weeks, we have been engaged in a campaign against Iran and Hezbollah. Iran is no longer just a front. It is the heart of the circle of evil that has set for itself the primary mission – the destruction of the State of Israel. This is a war against those who have directed, trained, equipped, and supplied weapons for thousands of operations against Israelis and against Jews worldwide for many decades. The culmination of these efforts was the murderous attack that occurred on October 7th.
The damage to the enemy’s systems is deep and systematic. Following the achievements of “With All Your Might,” we created a deadly cumulative achievement, which, combined with the attacks by our American partners, delivered a tremendous blow to Iran. We eliminated most of the command chain, severely damaged command and control capabilities and the ability to produce weapons, degraded missile launch capabilities against Israeli civilians, and created unprecedented freedom of operation for IDF forces in the skies of Iran and in other dimensions.
On the northern front, we are fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon to create an improved security reality. The IDF will continue to deepen its achievements, defend the northern communities, and distance the enemy from our borders. We will persevere in this as long as necessary. Deep intelligence, the combined operation of all army branches in defense and offense, the determination and resilience of Israeli society, and the strategic partnership with the United States Army all enable the unprecedented achievements of this campaign. However, above all stand our values, which are expressed precisely in such a complex time of war; they are what defend the righteousness of our path.
Now, perseverance is required of us! We embarked on this campaign clear-eyed but determined; the struggle for our security and our freedom is an ongoing struggle, and you have the honor of writing a new and important chapter in it. I look at you – in the air, at sea, and on land, on all fronts – and I see a generation continuing that journey that began long ago with the Exodus from Egypt. A generation of responsibility, of determination, of heroism – a generation that buys its freedom with supreme effort and sacrifice.
On the eve of Passover, when we tell our sons and daughters the story of the Exodus from Egypt – we will also remember those who paid the price with their bodies and souls in the recent campaign, we will embrace the bereaved families and support the rehabilitation of the wounded.
My subordinates,
In every generation, “they rise against us to annihilate us,” and after all is said and done – the people of Israel live and endure! For the defense of the homeland and the freedom of Israel.
The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi