Netanyahu to Iran: Attack Israel and make ‘the mistake of your life’

Netanyahu said Israel’s policy should focus on preventing threats rather than responding after attacks occur.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran on Thursday that Israel could attack either with the United States or independently if Tehran launches an attack, saying Iran would be making “the mistake of its life.”

“If Iran makes a mistake and tries to attack us, it will simply be making the mistake of its life. We have the option of acting with our friend Donald Trump, and we also have the option of attacking alone,” Netanyahu told Channel 14 diplomatic commentator Noam Amir.

The interview took place about an hour before Netanyahu was due to enter a security meeting.

Netanyahu said Israel’s policy should focus on preventing threats rather than responding after attacks occur.

“My approach is not to contain attacks, but to initiate and prevent. Bad things need to be stopped when they are small. Do not test us, our enemies. You will receive a blow you never dreamed of.”

Asked about the possibility of overthrowing the Iranian regime, Netanyahu said, “There is no substitute for toppling the regime. The question is, who will do it? Eisenkot? His intended defense minister, Yair Golan? Mansour Abbas, who wants to create Arab autonomy here in the Galilee and the Negev? This is the end of the job. Who will finish the job? Only us.”

Netanyahu also criticized Gadi Eisenkot over his declaration that he would bring down Hamas if elected prime minister.

“Don’t fool us. He had the opportunity, and he chose to run away from the government,” Netanyahu said.

Addressing the failures of Oct. 7, Netanyahu rejected former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s claim that he did not alert the prime minister that morning because he lacked Netanyahu’s phone number.

“It’s really a joke. He could have called me. After all, a prime minister is accompanied by security personnel who have a red phone. It’s not even an excuse — it borders on a joke. But he doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he thought it was an exercise and that there was no point in worrying me. And on that he was right — I would not have taken it as an exercise.”