As Benjamin Netanyahu stood at the podium in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office this morning, he chose not to address his own people in Hebrew. Instead, he spoke in English — directing his remarks to US President Donald Trump and offering effusive praise following America’s airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Netanyahu’s barely contained smile and triumphant tone came as no surprise. He has dedicated much of his political career to warning about the threat he believes Iran poses to Israel. For over 15 years, he has lobbied successive US administrations to take decisive military action, convinced that only American firepower could dismantle Iran’s nuclear program.
By congratulating Trump for a "bold, history-changing decision," Netanyahu also secured a personal and political victory: persuading a US president who once campaigned against foreign wars, and whose base largely opposed entanglement in Israel’s conflict with Iran, to intervene militarily.
It’s worth noting that US intelligence agencies had not fully endorsed Israel’s assessment regarding Iran’s nuclear timeline or intentions. Nonetheless, Israel’s leadership understood that only the United States possessed the specialized munitions capable of breaching Iran’s heavily fortified sites — particularly Fordo, built deep within a mountain.
If the nuclear facilities targeted in last night’s strikes have indeed been neutralized, Netanyahu could soon claim to have achieved his primary war objective, potentially drawing this volatile conflict closer to a conclusion. However, Iran insists it had already relocated its nuclear materials before the strikes took place.
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