Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. (File Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday night local time that the operation against Iran is ongoing, declaring in a recorded video statement that while Israel has made major achievements, “the campaign is not over.” Pointing to a map highlighting Iran and its regional allies, Netanyahu said, “They wanted to strangle us, and we are strangling them,” adding, “We hit them and we still have more to do.”
He also said that Lebanon had reached out several times in recent weeks to begin direct peace talks, saying he approved the idea on the condition that Hezbollah be disarmed and that any deal result in a “real peace agreement that will last for generations.”
Netanyahu opened the negotiations with Lebanon after a phone call with President Trump amid US concerns that the fighting was threatening the cease-fire with Iran as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
He added that “the Iranian regime is begging for a ceasefire; there are internal conflicts among the leadership there. They have a missile stockpile that is steadily being depleted. We had a goal to weaken the Iranian regime to its lowest level since 1979. I am listing the many targets we eliminated – the steel industry, gas production, fuels, bridges, and railways.”
Here are five takeaways from his remarks:
“Campaign is not over”
Netanyahu said military action against Iran will continue. “The campaign against Iran is not over, we still have more to do,” he said, adding that Israel had made “historic achievements”.
Claims ‘existential threats’ removed
He said Israel acted because Iran was close to developing nuclear weapons and expanding missile production.
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“Iran was very close to nuclear weapons… two existential threats that we had to remove,” he said.
Iran weakened, “seeking ceasefire”
Netanyahu claimed Iran’s position has weakened during the conflict.
“The Iranian regime is begging for a ceasefire… there are internal conflicts among the leadership,” he said.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference. (File Photo) 
