Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was adamant that the intelligence was “absolutely clear” that Iran was on the verge of obtaining a nuclear weapon — and described himself as President Trump’s “junior partner” while defending the preemptive strikes.
“These [are] people who chant Death to America, try to assassinate President Trump twice, killed 241 of your Marines in Beirut, killed and injured thousands of American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, try to bomb a restaurant in Washington, DC, chant ‘Death to America.’ Burn the American flag,” Netanyahu said on a special edition of Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier.”
“Look, they also tried to kill me, but I’m his junior partner,” he later added, referring to Trump. “They fired a missile into my bedroom window. They missed.”
That appears to be a reference to a drone shot fired by Hezbollah that hit Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea last year. The drone did not fully penetrate his house, due to reinforced glass and other protective measures.
The Israeli leader also pledged that he would not allow the Jewish people to suffer a “second Holocaust” from a nuclear-armed Iran.
“That is something that we couldn’t possibly accept. Whether it would be six months or 12 months or 13 months is immaterial. Once they go that route, it’s too late, and we will not have a second Holocaust, a nuclear holocaust,” Netanyahu said.
“We already had one in the previous century,” he added. “Never again is now, and we have to act now.”
Israel had conducted preemptive strikes on Iran late last week, targeting its nuclear facilities, top military brass, missile capability and top scientists, sparking a tit-for-tat conflict between the two adversarial nations.
Back in March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran “is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
But Netanyahu brushed off that assessment and insisted that Israel had “excellent” intelligence to the contrary.
“The Intel we got and we shared with the United States was absolutely clear — was absolutely clear, that they were working in a secret plan to weaponize the uranium. They were marching very quickly. They would achieve a test device and possibly an initial device within months, and certainly less than a year,” the longstanding Israeli leader claimed.
“We saw enough uranium, enriched uranium for nine bombs,” the Israeli PM later reflected. “It’s like Hitler’s nuclear scientists. Would you leave them? Of course not.”
Iran has quickly retaliated against Israel, with Khamenei vowing that “life will be dark” for Israelis. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Sunday that “If the aggression stops, naturally our responses will also stop.”
But Netanyahu didn’t seem keen on letting up on Iran, calling Araghchi’s statement “hogwash.” The Israeli prime minister cited two main reasons for the preemptive strikes on Tehran, claiming that the attack was done to “not only protect ourselves, but to protect the world.”
“We were facing an imminent threat, a dual existential threat. One, the threat of Iran rushing to weaponize their enriched uranium to make atomic bombs with a specific and declared intent to destroy us. Second, a rush to increase their ballistic missile arsenal,” the Israeli leader claimed.
Many military analysts believed that a driving factor in Israel’s decision to strike Iran was that the theocratic regime is widely perceived as vulnerable at the moment. Iran’s proxy forces have been battered over the past two years or so.
Israel mounted a pager attack on Hezbollah that wiped out much of the terror group’s top leadership, the Assad regime in Syria collapsed and Hamas has been beaten back significantly.
However, Netanyahu insisted that Israel was forced to act and that it was the “12th hour,” and heavily implied that the threat was imminent.
“Our intel shows that they intend to give these nuclear weapons to their Houthi proxies and others. And that’s nuclear terrorism on a global scale,” Netanyahu warned.
Netanyahu, who has spent some 17 nonconsecutive years as prime minister, also invoked concerns about Iran’s efforts to assassinate President Trump. Last year, it was revealed that the feds foiled an attempt by a Pakistani man who had been collaborating with an Iranian handler to potentially kill Trump. Netanyahu said there was a second attempt as well.
While the Israelis have dramatically diminished Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities, there are looming questions about whether they can get at Iran’s facilities that are buried deep underground, such as the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is thought to be about half a mile deep.
Many military observers believe Israel would need American bombers capable of dropping heavy bunker-buster bombs to destroy that facility. Netanyahu declined to delve into the specifics about that conundrum.
“I think we’ve set them back quite a bit. I think they were completely surprised. And, you know, surprise is a great element of success,” Netanyahu mused. ”
The strikes came ahead of previously planned nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran scheduled for Sunday in Oman. Those talks were later cancelled and Netanyahu claimed he gave Iran a chance, “but it was clear they were not serious about it.”
Trump has been bullish that Israel and Iran “will make a deal” and that the strikes could hasten a breakthrough.
