Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wore a bulletproof vest beneath his coat during the Yom Ha’atzmaut torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl on Tuesday evening.

Security around the prime minister has recently been increased due to fears of potential Iranian retaliation.

Security officials were concerned about possible attempts to target Netanyahu at the high-profile televised event.

The ceremony was held in front of a large audience and broadcast live.

During the ceremony, Netanyahu addressed Israel’s battle against Iran, saying: “The regime in Iran planned another Holocaust, but we shattered that machine of destruction,” adding that Israel, together with the US, had thwarted an Iranian plan to destroy the state.

“If we had not acted with determination and boldness, the names of death sites such as Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan might have joined Auschwitz and Majdanek,” Netanyahu declared.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)