Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his greetings to the Iranian people in honor of the Nowruz holiday in a video posted on X/Twitter on Tuesday.
"To the brave people of Iran," Netanyahu began. "I wish you, as I do every year, a happy holiday season, beginning with the festival of lights."
He added that this year the holiday has "special meaning" and wished the Iranians a "year of freedom" and "a new beginning of hope."
President Isaac Herzog also gave the Iranian people his best wishes for the holiday, telling them "You deserve better. You deserve change. You deserve good."
"I hope that this Charshanbeh Suri will bring with it a real change - change in the region, change in Iran, change for the future of our children," he added.
Netanyahu celebrates assassination of Ali Larijani
Netanyahu released a separate statement on Tuesday, following the announcement that Ali Larijani, Iran's Supreme National Security Council secretary, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
"Ali Larijani is the boss of the Revolutionary Guards, that group of gangsters that effectively runs Iran," Netanyahu said. "Alongside him, we also eliminated the commander of the Basij – they are the gangsters' assistants who are terrorizing the population in the streets of Tehran and other Iranian cities."
Netanyahu stated that Israel was undermining Iran's regime in order to allow the Iranian people to rise up and replace it, but cautioned that it would not be an easy process.
"It will not happen all at once," he said, "But if we persist, we will give them the chance to take their destiny into their own hands."
Netanyahu also celebrated Israel's achievements during Operation Roaring Lion, claiming that Israel is now a "formidable power, almost a global one."
"The most important thing for winning a war is determination," he said, "The determination of the leaders, the determination of the commanders, and the determination of the people. We are determined to win, and we will achieve these goals."
Israelis were also warned against paying attention to "channels of gloom," as Netanyahu claimed that the nation was achieving "historical milestones."
"What other country has these capabilities? They are all under attack," he said, referring to Israel's successes during the war compared to other countries being attacked by Iran.