Netanyahu says Israel is ‘stronger than ever’ in first speech since Iran war | War between the United States and Israel against Iran News

The prime minister says the war between the United States and Israel prevented Iran from moving its nuclear and ballistic projects underground.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is “becoming stronger than ever” as he continues, along with the United States, to wage war against Iran, which he said had suffered heavy blows in nearly two weeks of attacks.

At a press conference on Thursday, Netanyahu said the Israeli strikes killed prominent Iranian nuclear scientists and inflicted serious damage on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij forces.

“Iran is no longer the same Iran,” Netanyahu said, stating that the attacks launched on February 28 had prevented Iran from moving its nuclear and ballistic projects underground.

When asked about Iran’s newly elected supreme leader Ayatollah Mokhtaba Khamenei and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, Netanyahu said he would not take out any “life insurance” for either of them.

He said Khamenei was a “revolutionary guards puppet” who could not appear in public after the supreme leader issued a statement that was read on state television by a news anchor.

Addressing Iranians who took to the streets to protest his government, most recently in January, Netanyahu said: “We are at your side.”

“But at the end of the day this is up to you, it’s in your hands,” he added.

His statement echoed earlier ones by US President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called on Iranians to rise up and overthrow their government, saying that “the hour of their freedom is near.”

The Israeli prime minister also said the war with Iran had allowed his country to forge alliances in the region.

“This would not have been possible in the past, but now we are doing the best we can,” he said.

Iran has launched drone and missile attacks against Gulf countries, forcing several oil terminals to halt operations and shattering the appearance of security.

Iran has defended its attacks in the region, saying it only seeks to attack American assets there, but its neighbors say the attacks have damaged confidence for the foreseeable future.

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a draft resolution sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemning Iran’s attacks on the Gulf countries and Jordan, demanding that Tehran immediately stop hostilities.

Israel had sought to normalize ties with Gulf countries through the Abraham Accords in September 2020, but diplomatic relations had deteriorated against the backdrop of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.