Netanyahu explains the endgame for the Iran War

Netanyahu said Iran’s nuclear program must be dismantled regardless of whether a diplomatic agreement is reached.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s campaign against Iran will end only when Tehran is no longer capable of pursuing nuclear weapons, arguing that the regime must either be overthrown or weakened enough to abandon its nuclear program.

In an interview with Fox News, Netanyahu said preventing a nuclear-armed Iran remains the central objective of both Israel and the United States.

“I think when this regime is either toppled or it’s sufficiently weakened that it knows it has to end its nuclear program and has to change its course,” he said, adding that this is “really what President Trump is trying to achieve.”

Netanyahu said Iran’s nuclear program must be dismantled regardless of whether a diplomatic agreement is reached.

“One way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program. And with a deal or without a deal, that has to come to an end,” he said.

Netanyah said Israeli and U.S. military action had already delayed Iran’s nuclear program by “a good few years” through strikes on nuclear facilities and the elimination of “20 leading nuclear scientists,” while cautioning that Tehran could still seek to rebuild its capabilities. He added that Israeli and American intelligence agencies continue to coordinate closely ahead of his upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump.

The prime minister also warned Iran against launching another attack on Israel.

“If Iran attacks Israel, either directly or through proxies… our response, Israel’s response, will be very, very forceful,” he said.

Netanyahu said the regional balance has also shifted in Lebanon, where Israel has destroyed approximately 94% of Hezbollah’s rockets and missiles.

He said Israel is working with the United States and Lebanon to move the terrorist organization away from the border, disarm it and pursue peace.

“I think it’s, on the whole, a positive development, and may lead to another peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country,” he said.

Netanyahu also welcomed Trump’s reported position linking a civilian Saudi nuclear program to normalization with Israel, saying the president “was absolutely right in stating that condition.”

He added that Israel is in contact with several Arab countries and expressed hope that the Abraham Accords would expand if Iran is further weakened.