President Isaac Herzog hosted a ceremony commemorating 50 years since Operation Entebbe at the president's residence in Jerusalem on Sunday, underscoring Israel's responsibility to protect its citizens in the war with Iran.
He was joined by his wife, First Lady Michal Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. They sat among Entebbe survivors and their families along with veterans from the Uganda hostage rescue mission in 1976.
“Operation Yonatan [Entebbe] was one of the most extraordinary operations in Israel's history," Herzog said at the event. "It was also a moral declaration. On that night, the State of Israel established a principle that still resonates in our generation: there are borders to the state, but there is no limit to our responsibility."
The president went on to identify the evening as a reminder of Israel's commitment to protecting and rescuing the "sons and daughters" of the land, no matter where they are in the world.
Zamir echoed Herzog's sentiment, contextualizing the Entebbe anniversary against the backdrop of the landscape in Israel since October 7.
"We march with resolve and a sense of historic responsibility along those same paths, near and far, to secure the safety of our citizens," he said. "This has been our guiding compass since that night in Entebbe, and all the more so since October 7th, rooted in a deep and clear understanding: we, and we alone, are responsible for the lives and safety of our citizens."
US-Iran escalations evoke lessons from Entebbe
The July 12 event came in the wake of recent re-escalations in the current war as the US and Iran began trading strikes once again. Netanyahu took the opportunity to discuss the ongoing conflict.
"It taught the world that it is possible, and necessary, to stand firm against bloodthirsty terrorists, to strike them, and to defeat them," the prime minister said. "That is what we are doing in the current war: we are systematically dismantling the Iranian axis of evil, which sought to advance its plan for Israel's destruction."
Netanyahu's older brother, Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu, was the only soldier killed in the Entebbe rescue mission, alongside three Israeli hostages. 102 others were rescued after a plane was hijacked on its way from Tel Aviv to Paris.
“There is not a day that I don't think of Yoni. There is not a day that I don't consult with Yoni. I am certain the same is true for others. The spirit of Entebbe continues within us, and it guides the path of our heroic soldiers today as well," Netanyahu added.
Operation Entebbe marked its official 50th anniversary on July 3 with a number of events, memorials, and formal addresses.