Summary of this article
Netanyahu declares Israel has achieved historic successes against Iran’s nuclear and missile threats.
More than 400 kg of enriched uranium in Iran must be removed by diplomacy or force, he says.
Israel eyes direct peace talks with Lebanon while continuing operations against Hezbollah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had foiled Iran's nuclear ambitions but indicated the campaign against the Islamic Republic was not finished.
According to PTI, the Israeli leader made the remarks in a video statement on Saturday, in which he said in Hebrew: "The campaign against Iran is not over, we still have more to do. But even now it can be clearly stated that we have historic achievements."
"We went into the campaign because Iran was very close to nuclear weapons and the capability to produce hundreds of missiles per day. Two existential threats that we had to remove from over our heads," the Israeli Prime Minister asserted.
"Khamenei wanted to conceal the production of missiles and the nuclear programme deep underground in such a way that even B-2 aircraft wouldn’t have been able to reach it. We could not stand idly by," he claimed.
PTI reported that amid questions about the fate of more than 400 kilograms of enriched uranium still in Iran, the Israeli leader reiterated that it will be removed from the Islamic Republic through diplomatic process or by use of force.
The statement came while US and Iranian negotiators are meeting in Islamabad to discuss a potential ceasefire.
The Israeli leader repeated that he spent much of his life ensuring that Iran won’t achieve nuclear weapons, including by approving covert operations to delay it and also informing the world of the danger.
“But the world wouldn’t hear,” he said adding, Israel “broke the barrier of fear” by striking Iran last June.
Applauding the support received from Israeli citizens, Netanyahu said that Iran has been weakened and is "begging for a ceasefire".
"This is reflected in internal conflicts at the top, we know about this. We see the growing difficulty (in Iran) in meeting the needs of citizens. This is reflected in the profound weakening of the terror regime. Iran is no longer the same Iran", he claimed stressing that Israel has emerged stronger in the process.
"Those who threatened to destroy us are now fighting for their own survival," the Israeli Premier asserted.
"As a result of the strength we showed, Lebanon reached out several times in the past month to begin direct peace talks. I approved this subject to two conditions: we want to achieve the disarmament of Hezbollah and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," Netanyahu said.
"We have created a security zone of between 8-10 km. We are fighting Hezbollah because we are determined, I am determined, to restore security to the residents of the north - they deserve it like all citizens of Israel," he said.
The Israeli leader accused Hezbollah of planning a covert operation to "invade and conquer the Galilee.” As per local media reports, Israel and Lebanon are going to hold talks in the US next week even though Israel insists on carrying on with its military operations against Hezbollah.
(With inputs from PTI)
