'Had we not acted with force, Iran would have armed itself with nuclear weapons,' Netanyahu says at graduation ceremony

The "Wings Parade" ceremony, marking the completion of Flight Course 192, was held Thursday evening at Hatzerim Airbase, with two women among the graduates. This course began only a few months before the terror attack on October 7th.

The festive event will be held in the presence of the top political and security leadership of the State of Israel, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, and Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar.The ceremony was attended by Israel's top political and military leadership, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar.

Opening the ceremony, Netanyahu said Israel had demonstrated that the Israeli Air Force's "long arm" can reach anywhere, "from Yemen to Iran."

"The mission is not yet complete," he said, adding, "routes fall and routes rise. We are paying close attention to this and are prepared for every scenario. We must always be stronger than our enemies. Had we not acted with force, Iran would have armed itself with nuclear weapons."

Netanyahu said preserving Israel's air superiority remains a cornerstone of the country's national security doctrine and a key factor in maintaining regional stability. He added that Israel continues to strengthen both its personnel and military capabilities, telling the graduates: "You are the finest pilots and navigators we have, and we are equipping you with the best tools."

Later, President Herzog told the course graduates and their families: "The spirit` is the mission and the goal, not the sword. Never in the history of Israel has there been a flight course that took place from beginning to end during a war. In the midst of your training, you took part in operational missions. In recent years, the Air Force has proven what we already knew – that Israel has the best Air Force in the world."

Chief of Staff Zamir said the IDF is closely monitoring developments in Iran and Lebanon and remains on immediate alert.

He praised the Air Force's operations over the past two and a half years, saying it had established air superiority across multiple fronts, carried out surprise strikes against senior Iranian regime officials, nuclear leaders, weapons industries, surface-to-air missile batteries, and surface-to-surface missile launchers.

“We turned the third circle into the first circle and made the enemy in Gaza, Beirut, Sana’a, and Tehran feel the same sense of being hunted,” he said. “At the same time, the corps also led the air defense efforts—with unprecedented success rates that allowed us to continue fighting. We pushed existential threats away shortly before they became tangible threats.”

Zamir added: "In a unique collaboration between the IDF and the United States military, our ally, the world's greatest power, we flew wing to wing—the Israeli Air and Space Force together with the US Air Force. A joint and historic operational procedure that has brought unprecedented capabilities, proving the purpose of the corps: to be Israel's strategic and multi-arena arm."

The Chief of Staff concluded: "In recent weeks, hundreds of the Air Force's aircraft have been on immediate standby for takeoff. Hundreds of planes, with tens of thousands of people behind them: technicians, controllers, officers, administrative and logistics personnel—planning at headquarters and commanding from the command center. Even at this moment, we are closely monitoring what is happening in Iran and Lebanon, and we are alert for immediate action against anyone who tries to harm us—and we will respond forcefully."

Later, Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke and recalled his speech from last year at the graduation ceremony of Flight Course 190. During it, he sent a message to Ali Khamenei and other senior officials in Iran, stating that Israel’s long arm would reach them. "About four months ago, when we launched the opening strike of Operation 'Lion's Roar,' that statement became a reality on the ground. We resumed operations in Iranian airspace, eliminated many senior regime officials—and in the historic opening strike of Operation 'Lion's Roar,' we eliminated Khamenei Sr. and severely wounded Khamenei Jr.," he said. "Once again, we proved—to anyone who needed this reminder—that the Israeli Air Force, the strategic arm of the State of Israel, is capable of reaching any place that threatens the citizens of the country."

"Even today, at this event, as we welcome the next generation of pilots — men and women — and navigators — men and women — of the Air Force, I wish to open my remarks with a message to the Iranian regime and all those who wish us harm: The State of Israel today is stronger, more determined, and more powerful. The IDF is alert and ready to renew the campaign, to achieve renewed air superiority, and to launch a blue-and-white strike in Iran to remove threats — even for the third time. If we need to return — we will return, and with even greater force," he emphasized.

Katz concluded, "In the past 21 months, since that terrible terrorist attack of October 7, the pilots and navigators of the Air Force have proven to us that the skies, too, are their skies. The political echelon can make the most complex decisions to strike our enemies anywhere. In the 21 months since Israel embarked on the War of Revival, we have succeeded in changing the face of the Middle East."