Netanyahu: 'We will always be prepared for war' to defend Israel
Caretaker PM honors memory of fallen soldiers in solemn Remembrance Day ceremony at Mount Herzl
Israel will always be "prepared for war to prevent danger," Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday in his speech to the Remembrance Day ceremony honoring the memory of Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.
In his remarks delivered via a video-address, Netanyahu stressed that during the last year, Israel's casualties in terrorist attacks and military action were the lowest on record.
He asserted, however, that the country must remain strong in facing the challenges of today and tomorrow and must protect its people anywhere and at any cost.
To this end, the prime minister honored the memory of his brother, Yonatan, an officer with an elite IDF commando unit who was killed during the hostage rescue operation at Uganda's Entebbe Airport in 1976.
"May the memory of the fallen soldiers be in our heart forever and ever," Netanyahu said.
This year, the ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, the largest military cemetery in Israel, was held with a small number of attendees and closed to the press as a precaution against COVID-19 coronavirus.
Later on in the day, Israel will go on a lockdown, which will remain in place until Wednesday evening.