Tel Aviv [Israel], March 8 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel and the United States have achieved near-total dominance over Iranian airspace following a series of coordinated military strikes.
Netanyahu made the remarks in Hebrew in a video message shared on X. Reflecting on what he described as the strategic success of the joint operations, he said, “We achieved almost complete control over the skies of Tehran.”
The Prime Minister said the military campaign, carried out in close coordination with Washington, was undertaken with the full understanding of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding what he described as the magnitude of the threat posed by Iran to Israel and the broader international community.
Drawing a direct link to the Hamas-led attacks of 2023, Netanyahu said the current offensive had been a key objective of his administration.
“We have turned Israel into a regional power. All of this requires courage, initiative, and taking risks,” Netanyahu said, adding that the effort was part of a broader strategy pursued since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks in 2023.
“As I promised you two days after October 7, we are changing the face of the Middle East,” he said. “But we didn’t just change the Middle East. First and foremost, we changed ourselves. After the great disaster of October 7, I decided to lead a major shift—powerful actions one after another, proactive and surprising steps that dramatically change the balance of power between us and our enemies.”
Netanyahu warned that Israel was confronting what he described as a grave and immediate threat from the Iranian government, which he said had sought to expand its military capabilities in order to attack Israel and other countries.
“We are facing an extremely evil regime that is plotting to destroy us with atomic bombs and tens of thousands of missiles,” Netanyahu said.
Expressing appreciation for American support, the Prime Minister thanked President Trump for what he described as strong leadership during the mission.
“I would like to thank my friend President Trump for the leadership he is showing,” Netanyahu said, noting that the joint effort—referred to as Operation Rising Lion—was intended to remove what he described as an immediate danger to Israel.
“In Operation Rising Lion, we combined forces to remove immediate danger from Israel,” he said.
Netanyahu also claimed that Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had attempted to safeguard military assets by relocating them to fortified underground facilities.
“Khamenei ordered the capabilities to be restored and buried underground so that they would be immune,” Netanyahu said. “If that had happened, he would have used it to destroy the State of Israel and threaten the entire world.”
The Prime Minister said the joint intervention was timed to prevent those plans from materializing and to preempt potential Iranian attacks.
“From this foresight, the United States and Israel took action together to thwart these threats and allow the Iranian people to take their fate into their own hands,” he said.
Netanyahu added that there had also been concern that Iran could strike American and Israeli targets in the region.
“There was a danger that Iran would attack American targets in the region and Israel first, and for all these reasons we acted at the appointed time,” he said.
Highlighting what he described as the achievements of the first week of the campaign, Netanyahu said the operations had resulted in the elimination of Supreme Leader Khamenei and the destruction of hundreds of ballistic missile launchers.
“In the first week we eliminated the dictator Khamenei and destroyed hundreds of ballistic missile launchers,” Netanyahu said, adding that the actions had significantly reduced the threat to Israel.
Turning to the situation in Lebanon, Netanyahu issued a warning to the Lebanese government regarding its obligation to disarm Hezbollah.
“I repeat to the Lebanese government—your responsibility is to enforce the ceasefire agreement and disarm Hezbollah,” he said.
He warned that failure to do so could have severe consequences for the country.
“Take your fate into your own hands,” he said, cautioning that noncompliance could lead to “disastrous consequences for Lebanon.”
The Prime Minister also addressed members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), warning that they were potential targets.
“To the Revolutionary Guards operatives—you too are in our crosshairs,” Netanyahu said. “Whoever lays down his weapon, no harm will come to him. He who does not will pay the price.”
Netanyahu suggested that Israel had prepared what he described as a broader plan aimed at weakening the Iranian government and enabling political change.
Directly addressing the people of Iran, Netanyahu said the conflict was aimed at liberation but emphasized that the ultimate outcome would depend on them.
“To the Iranian people—we seek to liberate Iran,” he said. “But at the end of the day, liberation from the yoke of tyranny will depend on you, the Iranian people.”
He expressed hope that relations between Israel and Iran could eventually improve.
“I believe that if you stand up at the moment of truth, the day will not be far off when Israel and Iran return to being brave friends,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu argued that the Iranian government poses a threat not only to Israel but also to several countries in the region.
“Today everyone understands that the regime of the ayatollahs endangers the entire world,” he said, adding that Iran had attacked multiple countries in the region.
He also criticized the United Nations for what he described as hypocrisy in its handling of regional conflicts.
“The countries around us see the hypocrisy of the UN, which condemned us without reason in our just war against Iran’s murderous proxies in Gaza, yet that same UN did nothing in the face of the mass slaughter in Iran,” Netanyahu said.
He concluded by predicting a broader expansion of peace agreements once the threat posed by Iran’s leadership is removed.
“Many countries today see exactly who can be trusted,” Netanyahu said. “Thanks to this initiative, we will bring a dramatic expansion of the circle of peace around us.”
“Together we will continue to stand firm,” he added. “Together we will roar like a lion, and with God’s help, together we will ensure the eternity of Israel.” (ANI)
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