Netanyahu: Tehran hasn’t ‘learned its lesson’; Katz: ‘If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran has been trying to advance the development of nuclear weapons, while speaking at an IDF cadets graduation ceremony.

“The Iranian regime still has not learned its lesson. Mojtaba Khamenei decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He has taken off the safety, and Iran is once again trying to develop its weapons of death,” Netanyahu says at the officers’ school in southern Israel, known as Bahad 1.

“Therefore, there is only one way to remove this threat once and for all, to topple the regime in Iran, and that is my directive to the IDF, the Mossad and the security agencies,” he says.

Defense Minister Israel Katz, speaking at the same ceremony, warns Iran and its proxies against carrying out attacks during the elections next week.

“In recent days, we have identified attempts by our enemies, foremost among them Iran and its proxies, to carry out terror attacks that would affect the results of the elections in Israel,” he says.

Katz says that “the Iranian regime is at its weakest point ever, and we identify that this weakness could lead it to take the most extreme measures, including against the State of Israel.”

“Our message to the Iranian regime is clear: We are identifying your attempts, we are prepared to thwart them, and we are ready to strike you with full force,” he continues, adding: “If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn!”

Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the defense of Israel must be a shared goal, amid ongoing efforts by the military to draft members of the ultra-Orthodox community who largely do not enlist.

“The mission of defending the State of Israel is shared by all of us and is greater than any disagreement. The IDF is the people’s army, and unity within it is essential to its strength,” he tells the graduating officers.