Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Iran would suffer a devastating blow if it dared strike the State of Israel.
“If Iran makes a mistake and attacks us, it will suffer a blow it cannot even imagine,” he said during a toast to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting. “We are determined to complete the mission of toppling the regime—its end is near,” he continued.
He described Israel as the Middle East’s superpower, and warned its enemies: “Do not try us.” He thanked Israel’s soldiers and security forces for eliminating terrorists “around the clock,” naming specific fronts where forces are operating: Lebanon, Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
“Together with the United States, we have achieved tremendous successes in removing an existential threat hanging over our heads,” he said. “We have pushed away atomic bombs and ballistic missiles, and we have struck the Iranian axis with immense power.”
The premier added that Israel is resolved to achieve a further objective that “will permanently change the face of the Middle East and the history of our people.”
He concluded by citing traditional holiday liturgy: “May the year and its curses end, and may a year with its blessings begin—blessings greater than we have ever had.”
At a Rosh Hashanah toast with the IDF General Staff Forum at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv on Sept. 3, Netanyahu said that Israel is capable of toppling the Iranian regime, describing the goal as “within reach.”
“I am convinced of our ability to remove this threat once and for all; meaning, to topple this regime. This is the central mission still before us, but it is close. It is not impossible. It is within reach,” said Netanyahu.
Israel had achieved historic gains during three years of war, including in its operations against Iran, he continued.
“We faced the threat of annihilation by a regime that aspires to eradicate us and wants to arm itself with nuclear bombs to destroy us. We have pushed back this threat and other threats as well,” he said.
Netanyahu noted that while Iran continues to attack other countries, it has refrained from attacking Israel.
“They are not just failing to attack us. They attack everyone except us. They know our power, the force of our arm and our determination,” he said. “This regime is currently faltering. It is weaker than ever before. It is fighting for its life.”
An Iranian attack on the Jewish state would remove “every existing constraint” on an Israeli response, including strikes on Tehran’s civilian and energy infrastructure, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Sept. 3.
Speaking at a Rosh Hashanah toast at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, Katz said Israel would, if attacked, hit Iran’s “national, military and civilian infrastructure,” and send the Islamic Republic “back deep into the Stone Age and darkness.
“The ayatollah regime in Iran knows very well why it is not attacking Israel, after we struck them powerfully twice [in June 2025 and February 2026], dealt a blow to the nuclear program, eliminated [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei, and severely damaged their strategic capabilities,” said Katz.
He said Israel had identified indications that severe economic pressure and concern over internal unrest and a possible collapse of the regime could drive Iran toward “desperate steps.”
“Israel is very well prepared, defensively and offensively, for every possibility, and the IDF is ready to carry out the mission,” he said.
Meanwhile, American forces destroyed three crude oil tankers belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, U.S. Central Command.
The strikes were carried out after the IRGC fired ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling regional waters, CENTCOM said.
A U.S. aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks and no American personnel were harmed, the statement read.
One vessel was disabled off the coast of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, another was “completely destroyed” near the city of Jask in southern Iran in the Gulf of Oman, and the third, also in the Gulf of Oman, was rendered “inoperable” after the crew was ordered to abandon ship, CENTCOM said.
“The three Iranian crude oil tankers are part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the IRGC and its regional proxies,” the military body stated.
“Let the message to the IRGC be clear: If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost—taking out three of yours,” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “We will not hesitate to defend American forces, and if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.”
Following CENTCOM’s statement, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Iran that if it shoots at U.S. ships, “we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers. All they have to do is not shoot at [the] U.S. Navy.”
