Netanyahu In Personal Memorial Day Post: ‘I Miss You Yoni, My Beloved Brother’
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu published a personal post on Monday evening (20th) on the occasion of Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen soldiers, in which he spoke about his brother, Sayeret Matkal commander Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed during the 1976 Entebbe raid.
Netanyahu began by describing the close bond between the brothers: “Yoni was my extraordinary brother. My North Star, who helped me navigate my way through the twists and turns of life. He served as a role model and inspiration for me and my brother Iddo, and gave us support and advice at many crossroads. From a young age, he possessed a rare combination of inner calm, determination, and a clear sense of purpose. He always knew where he was going and what was required of him.”
Netanyahu added that he believed Yoni would one day lead the country: “Throughout its life, the State of Israel has fought for its very existence. As long as Yoni was alive I was certain that he would be there at the forefront, in leadership, in the place that would help secure its future.”
He recalled the moment he received the bitter news of Yoni’s death in the Entebbe raid to free hostages who were aboard a hijacked Air France plane. “I felt that my life had come to an end. It was not only the loss of a beloved brother, it was the loss of an anchor. I was sure I would never recover.”
Netanyahu described how, out of grief, his public path emerged: “Over time, I realized that Yoni’s legacy did not end with his death. On the contrary, generations of young people have read the book of his letters, and generations of fighters have drawn inspiration from his values. Yoni did not leave behind only a memory of heroism, He left us a path. Out of the depths of sorrow, a profound sense of mission grew within me. Yoni’s sacrifice pushed me forward into public service.”
At the conclusion of the post, the Prime Minister connected the memory of his brother to the fateful decisions he is making in these days of war: “As Prime Minister of Israel in these days of an existential war, when I send our soldiers into battle and our pilots toward Iran, I see each and everyone of them as if they were my own brother. I remember my parents, and I think of their parents. I know what is at stake. I know the meaning of every decision. I protect our warriors, and they protect us.”
He ended with the words: “I miss you, Yoni, my beloved brother, I miss you terribly.”
Israel’s Memorial Day ends at sundown Tuesday evening (21st) at which time Israel’s Independence Day celebrations begin – ending on Wednesday evening (22nd) at sundown.
At Memorial Day Ceremony, Herzog Called On ‘This Generation Of War’ To ‘Dream Of The Day After’
Speaking at the Memorial Day state ceremony Monday (20th) , President Isaac Herzog paid tribute to “this generation of Israeli soldiers, encouraging them to consider “what comes after the war” as Israel continues battles on multiple fronts.
“We are still in the midst of the campaign. In recent days, to our deep sorrow, more precious and beloved sons have been added to the list of the fallen,” Herzog said, referring to soldiers killed during renewed fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which was sparked by the US-Israeli war with Iran.
“War is a fateful time, a national test, and as a nation we are meeting it with extraordinary strength, and will continue to meet it with determination and resolve, through all the unbearable pain,” he said at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Herzog recounted stories and writings of several male and female soldiers killed during the fighting against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon over the past two years, as well as in past wars.
Herzog stressed the need to balance military strength with moral purpose, saying, “We do not live by our sword, but alongside it. We will grasp it in times of need, such as now, with one hand, and the sword will be sharp and resolute. But the spirit will always be, and must be, mighty and rooted in our other hand…the spirit that yearns for peace, for freedom and for dignity.”
“It is now the turn of this generation of war to care and to dream of the day after, to write the song that comes after the war. It deserves a song of hope,” he added.
IDF Chief Says Army Won’t Allow Iran To Realize Its Ambitions Against Israel In Memorial Day Speech
Speaking at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, IDF Chief Of Staff LTG Eyal Zamir said the military will not allow Iran to “realize its ambitions” against Israel.
“We returned the hostages home from Hamas captivity. We established new security anchors on the Gaza Strip border and on the Syrian border. In Lebanon, we are acting to create a new reality and to return security to the northern communities,” he said.
“We set out on an unprecedented campaign against the Iranian regime, which for years built a plan for the destruction of the State of Israel and developed practical capabilities to realize it,” Zamir continued.
He said “the IDF did not remain silent in the face of our historical mission. We struck with power and thwarted the regime’s plans. We will continue to stand on guard, we will not allow Iran to realize its ambitions, and we will ensure the eternity of Israel.”
Zamir said the military will “forever walk girded with a sword to ensure a vision of prosperity, growth, and peace for our children and grandchildren.”
In comments aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely do not serve in the military, he said, “To realize the vision, we are required as a people, from all parts of the nation, to have deep partnership in the security mission and to bear the burden through learning and change.” The campaign teaches us that these are necessary conditions for our military strength and that cohesion is a condition for our existence,” Zamir added.
‘Peace With Israel Will Save Our Country,’ Says Lebanese President
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he is pursuing peace negotiations with Israel, arguing that diplomacy is the only viable path to save Lebanon from continued war and economic and social collapse.
His remarks made during a meeting with lawmakers aligned against Hezbollah and summarized by his office, offered justification for engaging with Israel – an unprecedented step in modern Lebanese politics.
“Lebanon faces two options: the continuation of the war with all its humanitarian, social, economic, and sovereign consequences, or negotiations to end the war and achieve lasting stability,” Aoun said, according to the statement released by his office.
“I have chosen negotiations, and I am full of hope that we will be able to save Lebanon,” he stressed.
Aoun emphasized that talks are the only realistic way to “end hostilities, secure the Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas in southern Lebanon, and allow the development of the Lebanese army up to the internationally recognized southern border.
Since Israel’s founding in 1948, Beirut has refused to recognize the Jewish State. Despite multiple military defeats of the Lebanese army during conflicts and Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, Beirut has never formally acknowledged Israel.
The diplomatic push follows recent U.S.-brokered efforts under Donald Trump, whose administration facilitated high-level talks last week between Lebanon and Israeli officials aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
Notably, Aoun did not personally attend those discussions. Reports also indicate that Aoun declined to speak directly by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite encouragement from Trump.
Trump recently announced a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israeli military operations have been focused on Hezbollah targets within Lebanese territory rather than on the Lebanese state itself.
Aoun’s remarks come months after the Lebanese government passed a resolution demanding that Hezbollah disarm. The Iranian proxy group has pledged that it will never surrender its weapons.
Israel’s Critics Attempt To Sink U.S. Israel Relations – Lenny Ben-David
Israel’s critics in Congress are calling “to fundamentally reassess” the U.S.-Israel security relationship. However, the U.S.-Israel security relationship has evolved into a two-way strategic partnership, in which both sides contribute capabilities that the other lacks. In several critical areas, the U.S. is not the benefactor but the beneficiary.
In the recent conflict with Iran, American and Israeli forces operated as a combined system – sharing intelligence, coordinating targeting, and integrating air and missile defenses. Israeli-developed systems such as the Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling missile systems functioned alongside U.S. platforms, intercepting missile barrages that would otherwise have overwhelmed defenses. This level of integration is the product of decades of cooperation – and of Israeli innovation that has quietly reshaped U.S. military capabilities and doctrines.
Israel developed the Trophy system, which detects and destroys anti-tank missiles before they reach armored vehicles. The United States Army now fields Trophy on its M1 Abrams tanks, marking the most significant change in tank survivability in decades. U.S. forces have also adopted versions of the Israeli Spike missile, enabling operator-guided precision strikes by attack helicopters or infantry at ranges of 25 km.
Israel’s defense and combat against Hezbollah and Hamas tunnels are studied today in American military academies. The Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli defense industries have led the world in the deployment of loitering munitions. Israel’s experience in dense urban environments has produced new breaching tactics, the integration of small UAVs at the squad level, and rapid fielding of IED jammers.
Critics who call for scaling back the relationship ignore what the U.S. receives in return: access to combat-proven solutions to emerging threats. Israel encounters challenges – mass rocket fire, dense urban combat, short-range missile threats – well before they become central concerns for U.S. planners. The U.S. in turn, can scale those solutions and integrate them. Reducing its relationship with Israel means the U.S. weakens a partnership that enhances its own military effectiveness.
The writer, a former Israeli diplomat in Washington, is a Research Fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. (Substack)
Imminence Is No Longer The Criterion For Military Preventive Action – Alan Dershowitz
Extremists have accused President Trump of “war crimes” for his attack on Iran. Trump reasonably and understandably believed Iran was close to developing a nuclear arsenal, which the mullahs might have deployed against Israel in the near term, and perhaps eventually against the U.S.
Regardless of whether the potential timing of this threat fits the traditional definition of “imminent” – right on the verge of happening – it was real and would have been catastrophic if carried out. Accordingly, both the U.S. and Israel had the right – indeed, the campaign – to regard the threat that Iran would soon develop and deploy a nuclear arsenal as sufficiently dangerous to warrant preventive military action. Had either country waited until this nuclear threat was truly imminent, it might have been too late to stop it.
We can say this from experience. We waited too long with regard to North Korea, and that rogue nation managed to develop a nuclear arsenal under our noses. As a consequence, the Hermit Kingdom has been constantly threatening the world, and we can do nothing about it. Iran, the world’s top state exporter of terrorism, would pose a far more serious near-term threat than North Korea.
Former Prime Minister of Australia Gareth Evans wrote in a 2004 UN report that, “The classic non-threat imminent situation is early- stage acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by a state presumed to be hostile.” Israel used such a justification to preemptively destroy both Iraq’s and Syria’s nuclear weapons programs before their threats became imminent.
An even stronger case can be made regarding Iran’s nuclear arsenal program, since Iran has threatened to use it against Israel. – which its leaders have called “a one-bomb state.” Once Iran obtains a nuclear arsenal, it will already be too late for prevention or preemption.
The writer is professor emeritus at Harvard Law School. (The Hill)
