Israeli PM Netanyahu says Tehran nears ‘fall’, end of regime ‘near’ as US, Iran renew strikes | Today’s news
Days after the United States and Iran resumed spats over tattoos after nearly a month of relative calm, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (September 6th) that Tehran is nearing its fall as it fights for its existence, adding that another goal has yet to be met.
Netanyahu made the remarks during a cabinet meeting held for a Rosh Hashanah toast.
In a post on X, Netanyahu’s office quoted him as saying: “The achievements are huge, but there is still work to be done. I mean above all the overthrow of the regime. This regime in Iran – its end is near. It is weak, it is fighting for its life, it is limping. And there is one more mission that we have to complete, which we are determined to complete this history of our Middle East and our people that we know. We are determined to do it, we are determined and we know that we are capable of it.”
Israeli PM praises IDF, defends decision to expand conflict
Netanyahu went on to elaborate on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), writing: “We are on the threshold of Rosh Hashanah, and more than ever, the State of Israel comes first. Because of the wise and courageous decisions we have made together at this table, because of the heroism of our fighters, because of the resilience of our people – we have achieved greater strength than our enemies. Together we have achieved greater success than ever before; States, we have achieved greater success in eliminating existential threats hanging over our heads, we pushed back nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles and struck the Iranian axis with immense force.”
Defending the decision to widen the conflict and target its neighbors in the Middle East, Israel’s prime minister said Tel Aviv was determined to defend itself and strike at the country’s enemies. He added: “From here I want to bless the heroic soldiers of the IDF and the security forces who are constantly working. We are eliminating terrorists around the clock – in Lebanon, in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria.”
The US and Iran have resumed hostilities
Netanyahu’s remarks came a week after Washington and Tehran renewed hostilities after the US military attacked Iran’s Larak island, with the latter retaliating by attacking US troops stationed in Middle Eastern countries.
Over the weekend, the two sides also traded strikes targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran said it hit three oil tankers using an “unauthorized route” through a strategic waterway that has been at the center of talks between the US and Iran. The Islamic Republic also attacked several US-allied ships in retaliation for Washington’s attacks on Iranian tankers.
The latest exchange of attacks and conflicting claims about the status of the strait suggest an end to the war launched by the US and Israel against the Islamic Republic more than six months ago is unlikely in the near future, Bloomberg reported.
On 6 September, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright suggested that there would be no easing of the US presence, including a naval blockade aimed at curbing Iranian oil exports and efforts to facilitate the safe passage of other commercial vessels through the strait.
Following Wright’s remarks, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, said Tehran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz only if Washington stopped threatening and attacking the Islamic Republic, IRIB reported. He said: “Iran will commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open if the US does not threaten or attack Iran.”
