Bennett at IAF pilot's course graduation ceremony
Bennett at IAF pilot's course graduation ceremonyAriel Hermoni/Ministry of Defense

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday attended the IAF pilot's course graduation ceremony at the Hatzerim airbase.

"It is our responsibility to maintain the safety of the State of Israel, to guarantee its existence. On this, there are no, and will be no, compromises," he said.

"Each and every Israeli prime minister, from Ben Gurion, through Begin, until today, has had one sacred duty as a guide: We will not allow an existential threat to loom over the State of Israel. The years go by and our adversaries change and advance. Then it was Iraq, today, Iran. The level of sophistication and determination of our enemies has increased," added Bennett.

"But they appreciate, not from statements but from actions, that our determination is many times stronger than theirs, that we are many times over more sophisticated than them, and we do not hesitate to act when needed. Not in the past and not today."

"We would like the world to understand that the Iranian regime is violent and fanatical. It selected the Hangman of Tehran as its president—a man who is willing to starve his own people for years in order to have a military nuclear program. That is a regime that one should not do business with. Regrettably, that is not the case," Bennett continued.

"We will continue to consult with our friends, persuade, discuss, and share information and insights out of mutual respect. But at the end of the day, we will be responsible for our own fate, nobody else."

"We will act responsibly and solemnly, and safeguard the immense treasure we have been given to us as a safekeeping."