Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated that Israel and the United States remain committed to dismantling Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes as the conflict between the two countries intensifies.
Netanyahu spoke on Monday during a visit to Beit Shemesh, where an Iranian missile strike killed nine people. The visit took place on the third day of the ongoing aerial offensive.
Describing the attack site, the prime minister said it was “bombarded by the terrorists in Tehran,” and added, “The tyrants of Tehran target civilians; we target the tyrants of Tehran to protect civilians.”
He stated that the military campaign, known as Operation Roaring Lion, was launched to defend Israel and “protect many others” by stopping what he described as “existential threats.”
Netanyahu also recalled earlier warnings about the broader scope of the conflict. “They fired yesterday at a large part of the countries of the region,” he said. His remarks followed reports that an Iranian drone struck a British military base in Cyprus on Sunday.
Calling for international backing, the Israeli leader described Iran’s leadership as a “terrorist regime of the kind we’ve never seen in the world.” He warned that if Tehran acquires nuclear weapons and advanced missile delivery systems, including ballistic and intercontinental ballistic missiles, “will threaten all of humanity.”
Iran has continued retaliatory strikes since the February 28 killing of its Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and other senior officials during the first phase of the joint US-Israel operation.
Attacks have been reported in several parts of the region, including Bahrain, Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The exchange of strikes has heightened fears of a wider regional confrontation as both sides signal that military operations could continue.
