The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Barnea made the remarks during the 2023-2024 Prime Minister's Award for Mossad Operations, which was held Wednesday evening in the presence of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Speaking about what he called the "war against Iran," Barnea said, "Last year, a historic event took place, perhaps the greatest of all time, namely Operation Rising Lion, led by the Israeli army. In cooperation with the Mossad, we were able to deliver a decisive blow to the enemy that posed an existential threat to Israel."
On June 13, Israel launched a surprise 12-day war against Iran, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion." The war included exchanges of fire that resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides. Washington announced a ceasefire on June 24, amid mutual claims of victory.
During the war, Tehran claimed to have targeted the Mossad headquarters and its surroundings in Tel Aviv, causing "significant" damage. This information has not been officially confirmed by Israel, which maintains strict oversight of the damage to its sensitive sites resulting from Iranian attacks.
"We carried out a series of innovative operations, one after another, and the Israeli army, first and foremost, with its tremendous capabilities, and the Mossad alongside it, succeeded in turning the tide of the war (against Iran)," he said.
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"We have already proven that Iran is penetrable, and that the Mossad possesses excellent operational capabilities... inside Iran and in the heart of Tehran," the statement claimed. "We will continue to build and strengthen our capabilities in Iran, and we will open our eyes inside Iran to what is happening in its corridors, and we will not allow ideas that could harm our security to grow," it added.
Commenting on the assassinations of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last year, Netanyahu said, "Their assassinations were neither simple nor obvious," according to a statement from his office.
On July 31, 2024, Israel assassinated the then-head of Hamas's political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, in an attack in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Israel also assassinated Nasrallah on September 27, 2024, in a series of violent raids targeting Beirut's southern suburbs.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 65,141 Palestinians dead and 165,925 injured, most of them children and women, and causing a famine that has claimed the lives of 435 Palestinians, including 147 children.
