The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, defended on Monday the military offensive carried out against Iran over the past few months and assured that the operation, conducted with the decisive support of the United States, managed to neutralize an existential threat to the Israeli state by severely striking the nuclear program and military infrastructure of the Islamic dictatorship.
In his first press conference since Washington and Tehran announced an agreement to end the war that began in late February, Netanyahu made it clear that the diplomatic understanding will not change Israel's position regarding the Iranian nuclear program.
''With or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. Not today or tomorrow. As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel, that will not happen,'' declared the Israeli head of government, who has warned for years about the danger that Iran's nuclear development poses to regional security.
Netanyahu stated that the military campaign allowed for the elimination of an immediate threat that jeopardized the very survival of the State of Israel. The leader assured that the offensive managed to significantly delay Tehran's strategic capabilities and avoided a nuclear confrontation scenario that would have had devastating consequences for millions of people.
''The most important thing is that we saved the State of Israel from the threat of nuclear annihilation,'' he affirmed. He explained that the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program had reached a point that demanded a strong response to prevent the regime from obtaining atomic weaponry.
The Prime Minister presented the war as one of the most successful and ambitious military operations in Israel's history. Among the results he listed are the elimination of scientists linked to the nuclear program, the destruction of strategic facilities, the attack on missile factories, and the neutralization of important Iranian military commanders.
According to Netanyahu, Israeli forces also managed to destroy key naval and aerial infrastructure, significantly weakening Iran's military projection capability. He also stated that the economic damage inflicted on the regime amounts to extraordinary figures, estimated in hundreds of billions of dollars.
The leader's statements reflect Jerusalem's view that military pressure was a fundamental element to force Tehran to accept negotiations with the United States. From the Israeli perspective, the combination of sanctions, international isolation, and military operations demonstrated that the Iranian regime could not continue advancing without facing increasing costs.
