Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel’s war is “not over,” while Defense Minister Yisroel Katz warned that the IDF is prepared to resume its campaign against Iran and carry out additional strikes if necessary.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for IAF Flight Course 192, Katz said the military is “alert and ready to renew the campaign” against Iran in order to restore air superiority and remove threats. “If we need to return, we will return with even greater force,” he said.

Netanyahu also addressed the fighting with Iran, saying that over the past year the skies of the Middle East had seen unprecedented Israeli activity. Netanyahu said Israel had established aerial superiority over its enemies. He argued that had Israel not acted when it did and with the force it used, Iran would have armed itself with nuclear weapons meant to destroy Israel.

“The war is not over,” Netanyahu said. “Alongside the old challenges, new challenges are emerging. We are paying attention to this and are prepared for every scenario.” He added that preserving Israel’s air superiority is a central pillar of national security and said Israel is advancing a policy of weapons independence in order to equip its pilots with the tools they need.

Netanyahu added that Israel acted “with our American friends to remove an immediate danger of destruction, and also a danger to the entire Western world.” He praised Israeli pilots for carrying out thousands of sorties and strikes, saying they delivered a powerful opening blow to Iran and comparing those preemptive strikes to Operation Focus at the start of the Six-Day War.

Katz, in his remarks, referred back to a speech he gave at last year’s flight course graduation, when he warned Iran’s leadership that Israel’s “long arm” would reach them in Tehran, Tabriz and Isfahan. He said that in recent months Israel had resumed operating in Iranian skies, eliminated many senior regime figures, and in the opening blow of Operation “Roar of the Lion” killed “Khamenei the father” and severely wounded “Khamenei the son.”

He added that Israel today is stronger, more determined and more powerful, and stressed that the IDF will not withdraw from the security zones in Gaza, Lebanon or Syria. “It is our right and our duty to defend the residents of the Galil and the citizens of Israel against jihadist enemies seeking to destroy the State of Israel,” Katz said.

Katz also paid tribute to fallen IDF soldiers and members of the security forces, saying Israel’s achievements on the battlefield, in the diplomatic arena and in the struggle for the country’s future were made possible by their courage, heroism and sacrifice. Turning to the new pilots, he added: “Graduates of Course 192, I have a feeling you will not have trouble accumulating flight hours in the coming years.”

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