Netanyahu declares Israel, US are crushing Iran’s regime — and reshaping the Middle East
Israel and the United States are working together in a military effort that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says is reshaping the balance of power in the Middle East. In a national address Thursday night, Netanyahu said the campaign is focused on destroying Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities while weakening the network of militias aligned with Tehran.
Netanyahu described the moment as a turning point for Israel, saying the country’s military actions under “Operation Roaring Lion” are already changing the regional landscape. He said Israel is striking Iran directly while also targeting Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
According to Netanyahu, cooperation between Israel and the United States has led to major military achievements that are shifting the balance of power across the Middle East. He argued that strengthening Israel’s position as a regional power — and in some areas even a global one — is essential to protecting the country’s long-term security.
The prime minister also recalled that he has been warning about the threat posed by Iran for decades. He pointed to a newspaper column he wrote in 1993 as a member of Israel’s Likud party, in which he argued that Iran — not the surrounding Arab states — represented the greatest danger to Israel’s survival. Since then, he said, Iran’s leadership has worked against the United States and Western countries while pursuing its stated objective of destroying Israel.
Netanyahu said Iran’s strategy developed along three main tracks. First, he said Tehran built a network of allied militant groups that includes Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and the former Assad government in Syria. Second, Iran invested heavily in building a large arsenal of ballistic missiles. Third, he said Iran worked toward developing nuclear weapons with the goal of eliminating Israel.
Over the years, Netanyahu said Israel carried out both public and covert actions to slow Iran’s progress while building up Israel’s own military, technological, and diplomatic capabilities. Those efforts eventually led to a broader campaign that includes the operations known as “Rising Lion” and “Roaring Lion.”
He said earlier fighting, which he called the “War of Redemption,” significantly weakened Iran’s network of regional allies, though he acknowledged that these groups still exist. Israel, he said, remains determined to finish the mission and ensure security for citizens across the country, including residents in both the northern and southern regions. Hezbollah, he added, will face increasing consequences for its attacks.
Netanyahu also described strikes carried out against Iran’s missile infrastructure and nuclear program. Israeli forces targeted missile stockpiles, manufacturing sites, and scientists involved in nuclear development, he said. Some of the researchers leading Iran’s nuclear program were killed in those attacks.
After the earlier phase of the campaign last year, Netanyahu said he and President Donald Trump issued a warning to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They told him that any attempt to rebuild Iran’s nuclear or missile programs would bring a powerful response.
Netanyahu said Iran moved its rebuilding efforts underground and accelerated work on its weapons programs, prompting the current joint campaign by Israel and the United States. The stated objective, he said, is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and from producing ballistic missiles capable of threatening Israel, the United States, and other countries.
He also said Israeli operations have struck the leadership structure of the Iranian government. Netanyahu claimed that Khamenei and several senior figures in Iran’s leadership were eliminated, and he described Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, as a figure backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard who has remained out of public view.
Beyond military goals, Netanyahu said the campaign is intended to create conditions that could allow the Iranian people to eventually remove their ruling system. Speaking directly to the public in Iran, he said an opportunity for a different future could be approaching but ultimately depends on the Iranian people themselves.
Netanyahu also emphasized what he called an unusually strong partnership with the United States and President Trump. He said the two leaders speak frequently and that their working relationship is stronger than any previous partnership between an American president and an Israeli prime minister.
The prime minister ended his remarks by praising the determination of Israeli citizens during the conflict. He said that while people in most parts of the world try to leave areas affected by war, many Israelis abroad have been eager to return home despite the ongoing fighting. Netanyahu said that spirit, rooted in national resilience and faith, is what he believes drives Israel’s strength.
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