Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel will not hesitate to strike Iran again if circumstances require it, emphasizing that the Jewish State alone will determine its security policy and will not allow hostile powers to dictate its actions.
In a prerecorded address published on X and widely broadcast by Israeli media, Netanyahu delivered his first public remarks since the latest round of hostilities between Israel and Iran erupted Sunday night.
The statement also marked his first response since President Donald Trump indicated that Israel would ultimately need to accept any peace arrangement negotiated between Washington and Tehran.
Netanyahu stressed that Israel’s commitment to defending itself remains absolute and that this message has been conveyed directly to Trump as well.
“Israel has every right to self-defense, and we will exercise that right whenever necessary,” the prime minister said, according to a transcript released by his office. “I say this to you, dear citizens of Israel, just as I say it with appreciation and respect in my good conversations with my friend President Trump.”
The renewed tensions began Sunday when Iran launched missiles at Israel, the first direct Iranian attack since the U.S.-Iran ceasefire that took effect on April 7.
The latest escalation followed Israeli military activity inside a buffer zone along the Lebanese border, where Israeli forces targeted Hezbollah operatives backed by Iran, according to Israeli officials.
Those developments came despite a ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Lebanon that had been brokered by the United States.
Netanyahu sought to reassure Israelis that the government remains committed to restoring calm and security, particularly in the country’s northern communities.
“With unity, determination, and wisdom, we will defend the state of Israel, and with God’s help, we will restore security to the north,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister confirmed that Israel has suspended military operations against Iran for the time being, while making clear that any future Iranian aggression would be met with a powerful response.
“At present, the fire on this front has been halted, because after the terrorist regime in Tehran was struck, it stopped attacking us,” Netanyahu said. “If that terrorist regime in Iran makes the mistake of attacking us again, we will respond with force.”
Earlier in the day, Netanyahu held a phone conversation with President Trump. Following the discussion, a senior Israeli official told Ynet Global that Israel had agreed to halt its attacks on Iran at the president’s request.
The White House has been actively pushing both sides to de-escalate. Earlier Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Israel and Iran must stop shooting immediately.”
In a subsequent post, Trump said that “both sides, Israel and Iran, want an immediate ceasefire” and expressed optimism that negotiations toward “peace” were progressing, provided that “ignorance or stupidity” did not derail them.
Meanwhile, an Israeli source familiar with the matter told Ynet that Israel had originally planned to launch a strike against Iran several days earlier, potentially as far back as Thursday. According to the source, Trump strongly opposed moving forward with the operation at that time, leading Israeli officials to postpone the planned attack.
{Matzav.com}