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​(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Thursday, 28 June 2018), at Hatzerim Air Force Base, addressed the IDF pilots' course graduation ceremony. Following is an excerpt from his remarks:
 
"Dangers are all around us – and the Air Force has a central role in thwarting them. The aggression in our region of Iran and its proxies is not fading. Iran has etched on its banner the desire to destroy us. I state unequivocally: We will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. We will continue to take strong action against Iran's plan to turn Syria into a deadly missile base against us.
 
States and companies are abandoning the Iranian market and the mass demonstrations in Iran show that our efforts to put Iran in its place are bearing fruit. It was not always like this. At first we stood alone in our opposition to the bad nuclear agreement with Iran, an agreement which financed its expansionist and aggressive designs. But it is good that we did not slacken because President Trump's historic decision to quit the nuclear agreement is creating a strategic turnaround in Israel's strategic situation.
 
Iran is caught in an economic upheaval as a result of the reimpostion of the sanctions against it. The great flow of money into its coffers has come to a screeching halt. The Iranian people are feeling in their pockets the consequences of the fundamentalist fanaticism of their rulers. This is in complete contrast to what the international experts said. Not only has the reimposition of sanctions not united the Iranian public around the regime, the complete opposite is happening. Many in Iran understand that the regime of the ayatollahs is wasting precious resources on foreign military subversion instead of investing in civilian needs at home.
 
I am speaking about Iran because it is the greatest threat to our existence and we are determined to block this threat. It is too early to say how things will develop but the direction is clear: The cash machine of Iran's aggression has been shattered.
 
And we, the IDF, including the Air Force, will continue to take strong action against Iranian targets in the area. We will defend our borders, our sovereignty and the security of our citizens with uncompromising determination. We will continue to operate at close and longer ranges, both openly and in secret, against those who seek our lives.
 
Regarding the Gaza Strip, this is not the place to discuss our plans but I will say this: Whoever drags us into conflict will very much regret it. Here also the Air Force has a central role to play."