On the evening of June 15, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the press for the first time since the announcement of the deal between the US and Iran. This was also his first press conference in Hebrew since March.
Netanyahu stated that the agreement between the US and Iran will not change Israel's position on the Iranian nuclear program. "For decades, I have fought against Iran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. This is the mission of my life. With or without a deal, Iran will not have nuclear weapons. As long as I am the Prime Minister of Israel, this will not happen," the Prime Minister said.
The press conference took place amid discontent in Israel over the agreement between Washington and Tehran and sharp criticism of the Netanyahu government.
Netanyahu stated that Israel's actions against Iran have allowed it to "distance the immediate threat of destruction."
"I hear people ask: what have we achieved? We have distanced the danger of immediate destruction," the Prime Minister said. He added that Israel has inflicted serious damage on Iran's nuclear program, missile production, and structures associated with the Iranian regime. According to him, the Iranian economy has suffered significant damage, the recovery of which could take decades.
"If we had not acted, all of you who are listening to me now would be under threat of death," Netanyahu said. According to him, Israel has pushed back the threat of destruction of its population "for years."
At the same time, the Prime Minister reiterated that the fight against Iran is not over. "We must continue to stand guard, be strong and determined to defend ourselves when necessary," he said, adding that this applies not only to Iran but also to Gaza and Lebanon.
Netanyahu listed a number of Israel's achievements during the war in Lebanon. "We destroyed thousands of terrorists, destroyed countless terrorist infrastructure facilities. We brought back all our hostages. We destroyed Nasrallah, we carried out the 'pagers' operation, we destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets."
"You remember what they told us: If we enter into battle with Hezbollah, we will have tens of thousands dead, skyscrapers will collapse in Tel Aviv, in Haifa, in Jerusalem, in Beersheba, Israel will turn into ruins. You remember that. I did not accept that. We fought them — and how we fought. We occupied their key positions, including Beaufort, from where Hezbollah had threatened settlements in the north for years, and in essence, the entire country."
The Prime Minister stated that during the war, the "Iranian axis" in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria was destroyed.
The Prime Minister stated that the IDF has established "security zones" around Israel – in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. "After October 7, I established a simple principle: Israel will not allow terrorist organizations to be located near our borders, to dig terrorist tunnels into our territory, and to prepare for massacres near our citizens. Today, the heroic soldiers of the IDF stand between terrorists and our citizens. In essence, we have changed our entire security concept. We have changed ourselves. We have overcome the barrier of fear. We are taking the initiative, attacking, catching the enemy by surprise, and striking those who attempt against our lives," he said, adding that Israel will remain in the "security zones" for as long as necessary.
"And today, after we have achieved all this, there are those who want to diminish our achievements, to devalue our enormous successes. And I tell you: we will achieve much more. We will continue to thwart threats in the region, create new alliances with countries in the region and beyond. We will ensure our independence in the field of armaments – this is another principle I have established, and I am adding 350 billion shekels to the defense budget. We will develop technologies that push the boundaries of imagination, and we will turn Israel into an even more powerful nation. Because our strength is the key to our future, the key to our security, the key to our economy, the key to our alliances. Alliances are made with the strong, and Israel today is a very strong country. And it is strong thanks to you, citizens of Israel," the Prime Minister said.
Speaking about his relationship with US President Donald Trump, Netanyahu stated that they have known each other for many years, but do not always fully agree in their assessments. "There are cases when we see things the same way, and there are cases when we disagree in our assessments. I defend the interests of Israel, not with shouting, but with reason," the Prime Minister said.
When asked by journalists if he intended to run in the next Knesset elections, Netanyahu answered affirmatively, stating that he would not only participate in the elections but would also win them.