Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (local time) issued a stark warning to Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei with a “puppet” dig asserting that there was “no life insurance” for leaders of Tehran regime.Speaking at his first press conference since the war with Iran began, Netanyahu said the joint military campaign by Israel and the United States was progressing faster than expected and had significantly weakened Iran.“The campaign is going better than expected,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel today is “stronger than ever”. He also mocked Iran’s new supreme leader, calling him a “puppet” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and claiming he “cannot show his face in public” .When asked whether Israel would target Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei after he was killed in joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28, Netanyahu said, “I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organizations.” “And I don’t intend to provide an exact report here about what we are planning or what we are going to do,” he said,” he added.
Israel defends strikes on Iran
Netanyahu defended the military campaign against Iran, saying the strikes were necessary to stop Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.“If we had not acted immediately, within a few months Iran’s industries of death would have become immune to any strike. Therefore, we went out together to battle — the United States and Israel — to continue what we began and to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. To prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles that threaten Israel, the United States, and the entire world. That is our objective,” he said.Israel launched its military campaign against Iran, named Operation Roaring Lion, on February 28. The United States later joined the offensive under Operation Epic Fury.The operations aim to foil Iran’s nuclear ambitions, dismantle its missile programme and weaken its regional proxy networks, according to Israeli and US officials.
Netanyahu hints at pressure for regime change
The Israeli prime minister also suggested that the military campaign could help create conditions for political change inside Iran.“We are landing crushing blows on the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij both in the streets and at checkpoints and we are still active,” he said.Addressing the Iranian people directly, Netanyahu said, “The moment when you can embark on a new path of freedom, that moment is approaching. We stand by you, we are helping you. But at the end of the day, it depends on you! It is in your hands.” However, he indicated that Israel would not deploy ground forces to topple the Iranian government. “You can lead someone to water, you cannot make him drink,” Netanyahu said.“We will create optimal conditions to do this, including airstrikes as we did yesterday, as we are doing these days, to try to give them the space needed to take to the streets,” he added.
‘Not the same Iran, not the same Middle East’
Netanyahu also argued that the war had already changed the regional balance of power. “In any case, the war has ensured that it is no longer the same Iran, it is no longer the same Middle East, and it is also not the same Israel,” he said.He added that Israel had adopted a more aggressive military doctrine in the conflict.“We do not wait. We initiate, we attack, and we do so with a force that is unprecedented,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel still had “many surprises” planned in the campaign.
Netanyahu praises ties with Trump
The Israeli leader also highlighted his close coordination with US President Donald Trump during the war.“We have created an alliance unlike any before with the United States, an alliance with our great friend, my personal friend, President Trump. We speak almost every day. We speak freely, exchange ideas and advice, and make decisions together,” Netanyahu said.“Our relationship is one hundred times stronger than any relationship that has existed between an American president and an Israeli prime minister. We are not thinking only about our countries, or only about this generation. We are thinking about future generations, about the future of humanity,” he added.
