JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Iran’s new supreme leader while defending the joint Israeli-US military campaign against Iran during his first press conference since the start of the war.
Speaking on Thursday, Netanyahu said Iran was “no longer the same” after nearly two weeks of air strikes carried out by Israel and the United States.
He said Tehran had suffered major setbacks to its security forces, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Basij paramilitary force.
Netanyahu also vowed to continue targeting Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which he said had joined the conflict after the killing of Iran’s supreme leader at the beginning of the war.
The Iran-backed group opened fire on March 2 in response to the killing of the Iranian leader in the initial strikes that triggered the conflict.
Asked about possible Israeli actions against Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, Netanyahu declined to provide details but issued a warning.
“I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders —–,” Netanyahu said.
“I don’t intend to give an exact message here about what we are planning or what we are going to do.”
The Israeli prime minister said both Iran and Hezbollah no longer pose the same level of threat they did before the war.
Netanyahu also said he has been in frequent contact with US President Donald Trump throughout the conflict.
According to Netanyahu, the two leaders speak daily and hold open discussions about the ongoing military campaign.
