Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Thursday that the United States and Israel are decimating the Iranian regime in their joint military campaign that began on Feb. 28.
“Israel has never been stronger and Iran has never been weaker,” Netanyahu told a press conference in Jerusalem relayed live to Israeli and foreign media on the 20th day of the war. “We are winning and Iran is being decimated. Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed. Hundreds of their launchers have been destroyed. Their stockpiles of missiles are being hit hard and so are the industries that produce them. That’s important.”
In response to a question from JNS, Netanyahu said Israel had accomplished a great deal in its battle against Hezbollah, but declined to give details about the IDF’s ground incursion into Lebanon.
“I can’t divulge our battle plans and obviously, Hezbollah is not what Hezbollah had been,” he said, noting, “And we have plans for the future. Obviously, our number one effort is geared towards Iran, but if the regime goes, you know that Hezbollah goes. In any case, we’re devising our plans in such a way that we could remove this threat as well.”
The prime minister spoke in Hebrew, then English, fielding questions in English from the media after his opening remarks in a video posted on YouTube by the Government Press Office.
Close coordination
Netanyahu stressed that Israel and the United States are operating in “close coordination” against Iran as the war enters a critical phase.
“America and Israel are acting together in Iran with great determination and unprecedented strength,” he said. “‘Operation Rising Lion’ is designed to remove the existential threats posed by the ayatollah regime; the regime that has waged war against America and Israel and the people of Iran for 47 years. It chants ‘Death to America,’ ‘Death to Israel,’ and it delivers death to its own people.”
The Israeli prime minister outlined three primary objectives of the joint U.S.-Israeli military operation: “One, removing the nuclear threat. Second, removing the ballistic missile threat and removing both of these threats before they’re buried deep underground and become immune from aerial attack; and third, this means creating the conditions for the Iranian people to grasp their freedom, to control their destiny.”
He accused Tehran of seeking to disrupt global shipping routes. “The death cult in Iran is trying to blackmail the world by closing a key international maritime route, the Straits of Hormuz,” he said, adding, “It won’t work.”
The prime minister warned that Iran’s actions extended beyond Israel and the United States, describing a broader regional and global threat. “Today, the ayatollah regime is not only attacking America, not only attacking Israel, and not only attacking the Iranian people. It is attacking the entire Middle East and beyond,” Netanyahu said, citing Iranian attacks on U.S. assets and allies across the region.
Warning of the consequences to the whole world if Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, he said, “Just imagine what they would do … if these lunatics had nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to every American city and every European city. This is a danger for the entire world. It’s certainly a danger for Israel. It’s certainly a danger for America.”
He said that although the campaign against Iran has already dealt significant blows to Iran’s military capabilities, the focus has expanded beyond immediate threats to long-term capabilities.
“What we’re destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they’re trying to produce,” he said. “We’re wiping out their industrial base in a way that we didn’t do before.”
According to Netanyahu, Iran’s broader military infrastructure has been severely weakened. “Iran’s air defenses have been rendered useless. Their navy is lying at the bottom of the sea … Their air force is nearly destroyed. Iran’s command-and-control structure is in utter chaos,” he stated.
The Israeli premier praised American leaders, led by President Donald Trump, for conducting this military campaign. “The world owes a debt of deep indebtedness… to President Trump for leading this effort to safeguard our future,” he said. Today, Israel and the United States are protecting not only the entire Middle East but, I venture to say, the entire world, despite the fake news that is unfortunately being spread.”
Stating that he and Trump see “eye to eye,” he added, “I think if people are honest, if leaders are honest, they would understand that we’re not only fighting our fight, we’re fighting their fight. I speak to dozens of world leaders, dozens. They all know that. And privately, they all say that. They say that privately, but I say it publicly.”
Rejected the “fake news” claim that Israel dragged the United States into the conflict, he asked, “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on! President Trump always makes his decisions based on what he thinks is good for America.”
Again highlighting “the close coordination between America and Israel—our militaries, our intelligence services,” he said, “We’re achieving our goals in lightning speed.”
“I see this war ending a lot faster than people think,” he concluded.
