JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel’s military operations against Iran have prevented a “second Holocaust,” transforming the Jewish people from victims to a powerful nation capable of defending itself and the free world.

Speaking at the opening ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem, Netanyahu linked the lessons of the Shoah to Israel’s recent actions against the Iranian regime.

“In the Holocaust, the poet Uri Zvi Greenberg wrote: ‘We were an extinct people like a wild beast in a hunt,’” Netanyahu said. “In contrast, today our people fight back against our oppressors. … Today, however, we have a state which is stronger than ever, which roars with power.”

The prime minister highlighted Operation Rising Lion and Operation Roaring Lion, joint efforts with the United States under President Donald Trump that severely damaged Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities, air force, navy and other military assets.

“We dealt the regime of terror in Iran the hardest blow in its history,” he said. “The regime is weaker than ever. Most of its military assets are gone.”

Netanyahu recalled repeated pledges at previous Holocaust remembrance ceremonies that Israel would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

“This year, we turned that promise into reality,” he said.

He raised historical “what if” questions about the Holocaust — what if a Jewish state had existed, what if the Allies had acted sooner — and said Israel is now ensuring future generations will not face similar regrets.

“For two and a half years, we have been systematically crushing the Iranian Axis of Evil,” Netanyahu said, citing operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and against Iranian targets.

The prime minister recounted a meeting with 101-year-old Holocaust survivor Jake Waksal during a visit to a synagogue in Miami, Florida. Waksal, who survived Nazi camps, stood wearing a yellow star.

“I told Jake and the members of the community that after the Holocaust we promised Never Again. We promised and we are now fulfilling that,” Netanyahu said.

He praised the close partnership with the United States and said Israeli and American pilots are now defending the Middle East “wing to wing,” including Europe, which he criticized for “moral weakness” and forgetting lessons of the Holocaust.

“Israel does not forget this eternal commitment,” he said. “Together with the US and other nations … we are defending ourselves. In fact, we are defending the entire world.”

Netanyahu concluded on a note of strength and faith.

“As a nation of lions, we shall continue, with G-d’s help, to roar the roar of eternity. Am Yisrael Chai!” he said.

The ceremony, attended by President Isaac Herzog and Holocaust survivors, marked the start of the 24-hour remembrance period. Sirens will sound across Israel on Tuesday morning, halting all activity as the nation remembers the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.