Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Iran no longer has the ability to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles, following nearly three weeks of coordinated US-Israeli air strikes.
“Iran can no longer enrich uranium or make ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu said, adding, “We are winning, and Iran is being decimated.”
Speaking to foreign media, Netanyahu said the joint campaign has significantly weakened Iran’s military 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. He added that Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being “massively degraded” and would be destroyed.
Netanyahu did not provide evidence to support his claim that Iran has lost its enrichment capability.
I’M ALIVE: NETANYAHU MOCKS RUMOURS, PRAISES US ALLIANCE
Opening his remarks with a jab at speculation about his health, Netanyahu said, “First of all, I just want to say, I’m alive.” He went on to praise coordination with Washington, calling the US-Israel partnership critical.
“We are protecting the entire Middle East – and I venture to say, the entire world,” he said. Netanyahu added that he and US President Donald Trump “see eye to eye” on Iran, and said the world owes a “debt of deep indebtedness” to Trump.
DENIES DRAGGING US INTO WAR
Netanyahu rejected claims that Israel pulled the United States into the conflict. “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on,” he said.
He stressed that Trump “always makes his decisions on what he thinks is good for America,” while highlighting close coordination between the two countries.
ISRAEL PAUSES GAS FIELD STRIKES AT TRUMP’S REQUEST
Netanyahu said Israel would hold off on further attacks on Iran’s major gas fields following a request from Trump. He also claimed that Iran’s military infrastructure has been severely hit.
“Iran’s air defenses have been rendered useless, their navy is lying at the bottom of the sea their air force is nearly destroyed,” he said.
Despite the escalation, Netanyahu acknowledged it remains unclear how the conflict will reshape Iran’s leadership or the region.
While the war has so far been fought through air strikes, Netanyahu suggested that could change. “There are many possibilities for this ground component,” he said, declining to provide further details.
UNCERTAINTY OVER IRAN’S LEADERSHIP
The Israeli leader said there are signs of instability within Iran’s leadership. “I’m not sure who is running Iran right now,” Netanyahu said, pointing to “a lot of tension” among top officials.
He added that there are visible cracks in both political leadership and military units.
Netanyahu said it is too early to predict whether the conflict will trigger an uprising in Iran. “It’s up to the Iranian people to show that, to choose the moment and to rise to the moment,” he said.
He also warned against replacing one authoritarian system with another. “You don’t want to replace one ayatollah with another,” he added.
