Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
“Can you imagine how hard it is to stop Ronaldo from scoring a goal? I used to play soccer. Let me tell you—it’s almost impossible.
“But the Iranian team just did the impossible. To the Iranian people, I say: You showed courage on the playing field, and today you showed the same courage in the streets of Iran. Iran has many problems: air pollution, water scarcity, billions wasted on terror.
“Can you imagine what would happen if the Iranian government, instead of wasting your money in Syria, in Yemen and unnecessary wars in the Middle East, would start investing it in solving these problems in Iran? The solution to all these problems is the Iranian people.
“That’s why I offered medical aid to save Iranian lives after a devastating earthquake. That’s why I opened a Farsi Telegram group to teach water conservation to Iranian farmers. And that’s why I’ll never stop advocating for peace with the Iranian people.
“One day, I hope to watch Iran’s soccer team go head-to-head against Israel in a free Tehran. On that day, we’ll all be winners.”