Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his first press conference since the start of the war this evening (Thursday).
His full words:
""We are in historic days. Days that will be recorded in the history of Israel. In Operation 'Roar of the Harrier' – our roar is growing louder. We are crushing the terrorist regime in Iran. We are harming and crushing its doer – Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
With unprecedented strength between Israel and the United States, we have achieved enormous achievements. Achievements that are changing the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond. These achievements establish Israel's position as a stronger power than ever before. This dramatic change in our power versus that of our enemies is the key to ensuring our survival.
Threats rise and threats decline – but when we become a regional power, and in certain areas a global power, we have the power to ward off dangers and secure our future.
In 1993, I published an article in a newspaper, in which I wrote: "The greatest danger to Israel's existence does not lie in the Arab countries, it lies in Iran." Since then, for over thirty years, the murderous ayatollah regime has indeed worked to harm the United States and the West, but first and foremost it has worked to advance its plan to destroy Israel.
He did this on three levels: the first - he built an 'axis of evil' with the terrorist armies of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Assad regime and others. The second level - he worked to establish an array of tens of thousands of deadly ballistic missiles.
And the third level – he worked to develop atomic bombs with the stated goal of wiping us off the face of the earth. Well, he won't do that.
As Prime Minister of Israel, I led many overt and covert actions that slowed Iran down, took away its capabilities. But at the same time, we built our military capabilities, our technological capabilities, our political capabilities, to strike Iran with force and keep the threats away from us. All of these efforts came together in the War of Rebirth, in the 'Dog Nation,' and now - in the 'Roar of the Hari.'.
In the War of Rebirth, we severely damaged the 'axis of evil.' It is still there, but with much less capacity. We are committed to completing the task: to bring security to all citizens of Israel, and in particular to the residents of the north, as we are doing – and will continue to do – for the residents of the south. Hezbollah feels the comfort of our arm, and it will feel it even more intensely. It will pay a very heavy price for its aggression.
In Operation 'Am Kalavi', we also broke through the path for the first time to carry out a comprehensive attack – both on Iran's vast missile stockpile, and on the factories producing additional missiles. We did the same with regard to the nuclear project – including a fatal attack on senior Iranian scientists. They were the ones who led the development of the atomic bombs that were intended to destroy us. They are no longer there. And by the way, we have hit a few more now.
After 'The Dog Nation,' President Trump and I warned the dictator Khamenei. We told him: If you try to rebuild your death industries, we will hit you with a force you never knew existed. Not only did he not listen to us, he began an accelerated process to restore the nuclear and missile programs, this time burying them deep underground, under high mountains. If we had not acted immediately, within a few months Iran's death industries would have been immune to any attack.
That is why we went on a campaign together – the US and Israel – to continue what we did in 'Am Kalavi': to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, to prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles, which would threaten Israel, the US and the entire world. This is our goal.
In a short time, we eliminated the tyrant Khamenei and many senior figures in the terrorist regime. We eliminated the old dictator – and the new dictator, Mojtaba, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, he cannot show his face in public. We are crushing the nuclear infrastructure, the missile and launcher array, the suppression headquarters, the regime’s power centers, and many other targets.
At the same time, we are working to advance another goal: to create the conditions for the Iranian people to be able to oust the brutal tyrannical regime that has existed for almost a millennium. We are delivering crushing blows to the Revolutionary Guards and Basij both on the streets and at checkpoints – and with our hands outstretched.
I say to the Iranian people: The moment when you can embark on a new path of freedom – that moment is getting closer. We stand by you, we help you. But at the end of the day – it’s up to you! It’s in your hands!
We can already say with certainty: This is no longer the same Iran, this is no longer the same Middle East, and this is not the same Israel. We are not waiting. We are taking the initiative, we are attacking, and we are doing so with unprecedented force!
We have created an unprecedented alliance with the United States – an alliance with our great friend, my personal friend, President Trump. We talk almost every day. We talk "freely at the bar", we focus, we exchange ideas and advice and we make decisions together. President Trump told me something that I want to share with you. A little while ago he told me this: "The relationship between us is a hundred times stronger than any relationship that has existed between an American president and a prime minister in Israel." We are not thinking only about our countries, only about this generation. We are also thinking about future generations, about the future of humanity.
These days, my people and I are forging additional alliances with countries in the region, alliances that until a few weeks ago would have seemed imaginary. We are doing this thanks to the tremendous power we have built, thanks to the immense heroism of our commanders and fighters, and thanks to the steadfastness of you – the citizens of Israel.
I know that you are strictly following the Home Front Command's instructions. You enter the protected areas time and time again. I know that it is not easy. I know that it is also very difficult right now in the north. But by strictly following these things, you are also saving lives – and also giving me, the government of Israel, the IDF and the security forces the backing and breathing space to achieve the campaign's objectives.
What did President Trump say to me in amazement? "Only in Israel are the rescue flights – they are the other way around. All over the world, people want to escape from the fighting centers – and only in you, in Israel, does everyone want to return.".
"Where does this spirit come from?" - he always asks me. And I answer him: "This is the secret of our success. This is the resilience of our people. This is the power of our faith - the faith in the eternity of Israel!".
During the question phase of the press conference, Netanyahu was asked about the fate of the new supreme leader. The prime minister refused to provide assurances regarding the lives of senior regime officials, but hinted at what was to come: "I would not take out a life insurance policy on any of the leaders of the terrorist organizations and their terrorist patrons. I do not intend to give an exact report here on what we are planning and what we will do.".
In response to a question about the threat from Lebanon and past statements that Hezbollah was defeated in the previous campaign against it, Netanyahu said: "We talked then about 150,000 rockets and missiles, about the destruction of the towers in Tel Aviv, about the devastation in the rest of the country, and about 15,000 to 20,000 deaths. All of this did not materialize because we dealt them a tremendous blow, but that does not mean that they did not have any residual fire left.".
""Threats come and go, but we are strengthening our power compared to what was here," the prime minister added. "Tomorrow they will be even weaker - both Iran and Hezbollah. We are changing the Middle East. Both against enemies and against friends. Israel is stronger than ever, the whole world understands that.
""In the life of nations, we constantly encounter new or old threats. The only way to ensure prosperity is to be very strong. There is no doubt that from campaign to campaign, Israel emerges stronger than ever. On October 7, everyone thought that this was the end of us, and today we are at least a regional power," he said.
Netanyahu was asked about Trump's attack on President Yitzhak Herzog, and the pressure he is putting on him to pardon the prime minister. "I don't intend to comment on the words of this or that American president. I'm surprised you didn't ask this question when Biden intervened on the issue of legal reform.
""Presidents in the US are allowed to say whatever is on their mind. It's on his mind. It comes from him because he thinks there's a manhunt here. He's right. He thinks there's a political hunt here, a trial that should never have happened and should have been closed after all these horrible things were discovered in it: blackmail with threats, falsification of protocols, swindling, use of spies.".
""Where would you hear such a thing in a free country? It's not a law. It's a violation of the law. It should have been shut down. President Trump has the right to say what he wants. I'm not responsible for what he says. Is he speaking from the heart - yes, he is speaking from the heart.".
Netanyahu clarified that he did not ask Trump to pressure Herzog to grant him a pardon. "I did not ask Trump, neither before nor now - unequivocally, and all the people who hear him will testify, and he comes out spontaneously.".
In response to a question about the draft law and the public outrage, Netanyahu rejected claims that he had given up on the draft of the ultra-Orthodox for the sake of political survival. "We didn’t give up anything. What we did was temporarily put aside all our plans for legislation," he said. "We said – we must concentrate on one thing right now: security. We need to pass a defense budget with tens of billions… otherwise we won’t have the armaments and the other things needed to advance our military plans.".
Netanyahu criticized the political demands made by his coalition partners: "The problem was that various factions, naturally, said: 'I will not support the budget unless I accept this law,' and others said: 'We will not support unless we accept such and such reforms.' I addressed everyone and said: Put aside all these conditions. Right now we are passing the budget, and then we will continue with the legislation." He promised that he intended to pass a "very responsible law, which will lead to the recruitment of 23,000 Haredim within three and a half years.".
