PM Netanyahu and Mossad Director David Barnea Awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Mossad Operations
Israel - Prime Minister's Office
Type: Events and Speeches
Government: The 37th Government
Publish Date: 18.09.2025
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mossad Director David Barnea, last night, attended the award ceremony for the Prime Minister's Prize for Mossad operations in 2023-2024, and the toast ahead of the Jewish New Year, together with Mossad personnel and commanders, and colleagues from the intelligence and security communities.
The Prime Minister's Prize is awarded for pioneering and inspirational operations, the security and intelligence contribution of which to the security of the State of Israel was exceptional. The operations that were chosen constitute the tip of the iceberg of the Mossad's extensive efforts over the past two years in dealing with the many threats and challenges facing the State of Israel, and in ensuring Israel's intelligence and technological superiority.
Prime Minister Netanyahu on the operation in Iran:
"This operation was done with great efforts, one of which was very great. I decided to call it 'Operation Rising Lion'. Why a lion? Because the people rose up. The entire people rose up."
Prime Minister Netanyahu added:
"Then we spoke here about Haniyeh. It was not a simple operation. And Nasrallah? Not a simple operation, nor was it self-evident. You have pagers here? And the pagers. Of course, I knew that it was not the pagers but the people, the work. This was the first large-scale targeted counter-terrorist operation in history.
We have met over the years and each time I talk to you about the thing that truly is the most important and it is the existential threat posed by Iran's intentions, as well as its actions, to arm itself with nuclear weapons.
Here we were forced to take immediate action because if we hadn't acted, within a year this threat would have been over our heads, and would have beheaded the country, and I note that you had a major part in this, that we reached that moment, and not beforehand, because I appreciate that your actions, which almost no other element did, had important help of course, but most of the operation was carried out by the Mossad.
I came here to tell you that I am convinced that the people of Israel, this lion people, has the forces, the strength of spirit, the creativity, the heroism, the daring and the determination to ensure its future, for us, our children, our grandchildren and the generations that will follow us."
Mossad Director Barnea praised the personnel of the agency:
"Exactly one year and two hours ago, at 15:30, the Prime Minister gave the order to carry out the pagers operation which was followed by plans for an IDF assault to defeat Nasrallah and banish the threat on our northern border.
The elimination of Nasrallah and the Hezbollah leadership ten days later ended whatever weak hopes they had left. The spirit of the enemy was broken.
In the past year, another historic event was realized, perhaps the greatest of all - Operation Rising Lion. Led by the IDF, and in cooperation with the Mossad, we managed to land a harsh and painful blow on the enemy, which posed an existential threat to the State of Israel. The Mossad worked for many years and brought to the fore its relative advantages. We implemented a series of imaginative operations, one after the other. The IDF, first and foremost, with its great capabilities, and the Mossad at its side, succeeded in tipping the balance in the war.
We won and we will continue to win.
We indeed proved that Iran is penetrable but we did not relent. The Mossad has very good capabilities for action, more imaginative than in the past, and greater strength mainly inside Iran and also in the heart of Tehran. We proved our capabilities and also what we are prepared to do to safeguard the security of Israel. We will continue to build and strengthen our capabilities in Iran. We will open our eyes inside Iran on what is happening in their innermost rooms, and we will not allow ideas that are liable to harm our security to grow.
Prime Minister, on behalf of all the men and women of the Mossad, thank you for the backing that you have given us to lead these imaginative operations. One needs a developed imagination, and leadership, not only to guide these operations but also to approve them.
We will continue to act, next year as well, in light of the Mossad vision - 'We will strive for excellence and turn vision into reality."
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