In a video statement on Tuesday summing up the war against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel “achieved a historic victory” that would “abide for generations” following the US-brokered ceasefire to end the 12-day conflict.
He said Israel removed “two existential threats — the threat of destruction via nuclear weapons and the threat of destruction via 20,000 ballistic missiles” that Iran was moving to build. Israel would have faced destruction in the near future “if we hadn’t acted now.”
US President Donald Trump acted “in an unprecedented fashion,” the prime minister said, thanking him for “his part in defending Israel, and removing the Iranian nuclear threat.”
Netanyahu said the historic development — a US strike on Iran in support of Israel — was “the fruit of a diplomatic campaign I led with [Strategic Affairs] Minister Ron Dermer,” and praised the American forces who “destroyed” the underground Fordo enrichment site.
“Israel has never had a friend like President Trump in the White House, and I thank him greatly for our joint work,” said Netanyahu, hours after a livid Trump blasted Israel for striking Iran both after the impending ceasefire was announced and for responding to Iranian missile attacks after the truce took effect.
Yet, in his video statement, Netanyahu lauded Israel’s attack on Iran early Tuesday morning before the ceasefire took force — the same massive strike Trump raged about in front of the cameras.
The prime minister also said Israel destroyed Iran’s ballistic missile production program and landed “the most severe blow in [the regime’s] history.”
“We sent Iran’s nuclear program down the drain,” Netanyahu stated. “If someone in Iran tries to restore that program, we will act with the same determination, the same power, to cut off any such attempt.”
“I repeat: Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” he vowed, adding that — with Iran’s axis in tatters — Israel will open an “axis of prosperity and peace of the nations of the region” and beyond.
He briefly mentioned Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, and said: “We must defeat Hamas and bring back the hostages.”
Only hours before the prime minister publicly praised Trump for his support, the president expressed in no uncertain terms on Tuesday that he was furious, in a rare if not unprecedented public display of frustration with Israel by an American leader.
“I’m not happy that Israel’s going out now,” the president told reporters Tuesday, as Israeli jets were responding to Iranian missile strikes earlier in the day.
“There was one rocket that I guess was fired overboard [by Iran]. It was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel’s going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous…”
During a phone call following his public tirade, Trump warned Netanyahu in “exceptionally firm” terms not to retaliate against Iran’s violation of the US-brokered ceasefire, a White House source told Axios.
The Prime Minister’s Office subsequently laid out the timeline of Iranian missile attacks and its own response earlier Tuesday, stressing that the ceasefire was set for 7 a.m., and four hours earlier, “Israel attacked forcefully in the heart of Tehran, hitting regime targets and killing hundreds of Basij and Iranian security forces.”
“Shortly before the ceasefire went into effect, Iran launched a barrage of missiles, one of which claimed the lives of four of our citizens in Beersheba,” continued the statement.
“At 7:06 a.m., Iran launched one missile into Israeli territory and at 10:25 a.m., two more missiles. The missiles were intercepted or fell in open areas without casualties or damage. In response to Iran’s violations, the Air Force destroyed a radar array near Tehran.”
Trump did not mention the slain Israeli civilians in his tirade, which came before he left the White House for a NATO summit in The Netherlands.
Also Tuesday, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said that “despite the phenomenal achievement, we must keep our feet on the ground. Many challenges lie ahead. We must remain focused; there is no time to rest on our laurels.”
“We have concluded a significant chapter, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase, one that builds upon the achievements of the current operation. We have set Iran’s nuclear project back by years, and the same goes for its missile program,” Zamir said during an assessment, according to remarks provided by the IDF.
“Now, the focus returns to Gaza, to bringing the hostages home and toppling Hamas rule,” he added.
Israel and Iran entered into open conflict on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites and ballistic missile program. Israel said the campaign was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its declared plan to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran retaliated to Israel’s attacks by launching over 550 ballistic missiles and around 1,000 drones at Israel. Iran’s missile attacks killed 28 people and wounded thousands in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals. Missiles hit apartment buildings, a university, and a hospital, causing heavy damage.
US forces bombed three crucial nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday, ending more than a week of speculation over whether it would join the campaign. Iran retaliated Monday evening with a missile attack on a major US airbase in Qatar that did not cause any casualties, and hours later Trump announced the ceasefire, which was implemented Tuesday.
Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.