Netanyahu holds press briefing
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday asserted Israel’s independent military decision-making even as he emphasised close coordination with the United States amid the ongoing conflict with Iran.
However, he denied claims that Israel “dragged” US into a war, during a media briefing. “Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. President Trump always makes his decisions on what he thinks is good for America,” Netanyahu said on being questioned by reporter. He confirmed that Israel had carried out a strike on Iran’s Assaluyeh gas compound on its own, while acknowledging Washington’s position on further such attacks.
“Fact number one: Israel acted alone against the Assaluyeh gas compound. Fact number two: President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we’re holding off,” he said. Netanyahu also projected confidence in Israel’s military campaign, saying, “We are winning and Iran is being decimated,” and added, “I also see this war ending a lot faster than people think.” On Iran’s internal situation, he pointed to signs of strain but stopped short of predicting regime collapse.
“A lot of signs… I wish I could divulge all of them,” he said, adding, “We’re working to create the conditions for it to collapse. But it may survive, it may not.” He further claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been severely degraded. “We are taking action to destroy the industries that make it possible to build missiles. Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles,” Netanyahu said. Reaffirming ties with Washington, Netanyahu said, “In partnership with our American allies, we can do amazing things… It’s the two most amazing air forces in the world… the two most amazing intelligence services in the world.”
