Mossad Chief Reveals Agent Killed in Iran Campaign as Israel Honors Fallen

"During the Lion's Roar campaign, my thoughts and heart were filled with pride in the figure and actions of M.," Barnea said.

He added that "the operations led by M. combined creativity, cunning, and technology and significantly influenced the success of the campaign against Iran."

At the state ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu framed Israel's security struggles as part of a long historical pattern of existential threats. He focused heavily on Iran's nuclear program, saying Israel had acted to prevent what he described as a national catastrophe.

"In every generation, people rise up against us to destroy us - even in this generation," Netanyahu said. He said Israel and the United States had prevented what he called a major threat, warning that Iranian nuclear sites "could have joined Auschwitz, Majdanek and Treblinka."

Netanyahu also tied the war to the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023, saying it reinforced Israel's mission "to protect the home, the people and the state." He spoke emotionally about his brother Yoni Netanyahu, killed in the 1976 Entebbe operation, saying: "There is not a day that I don't think about you."

The ceremony was attended by President Isaac Herzog, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, and followed a nationwide two-minute siren marking remembrance.

Defence Minister Israel Katz warned Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem would "pay with the loss of his head" for attacks against Israel, saying Israel would continue military operations even during ceasefires to defend northern communities and maintain deterrence.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, speaking at a police memorial ceremony, said the aftermath of the October 7 attack had created "a moment of great opportunity to change 'the concept,'" referring to security doctrine.

Memorial ceremonies were marked by scattered protests and emotional interruptions. At cemeteries in Tel Aviv, Dimona and Ashdod, bereaved families and attendees either protested, shouted during speeches, or walked out in response to ministerial remarks.

In the northern village Isfiya, Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, spiritual leader of Israel's 152,000 Druze, criticised the government, citing long-standing infrastructure and housing issues. During remarks by Energy Minister Eli Cohen, some attendees shouted accusations of neglect, saying government policies were harming local families.

Despite the disruptions, ceremonies continued nationwide, honouring more than 25,000 Israeli soldiers and over 5,000 victims of hostilities since the state's founding.

Independence Day immediately follows Memorial Day. A nationally televised torch-lighting ceremony on Tuesday at sundown marks the transition.

- ANI